Cheers
S
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Wordle on the Blog
I was fooling around with Jonathan Feinberg's invention [?] Wordle and applied it to the skeedamnbee. Here is the result (click on the picture to see it expanded). Good fun, what?
Cheers
S
Cheers
S
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Sarasvati
In the ṛgveda, together with divine will, is another power that manifests itself in us ― the power of inspiration, manifested as the goddess sarasvatī. The hymns to sarasvatī first make their appearance in the poetry of ṝṣi madhuccandāḥ vaiśvāmitrāḥ and give us an insight into the character of this power within us.
The richness of the vedic symbolism is again depicted here - in that of the ocean ― the chosen image of infinite and eternal existence; and that of the river ― the image of a stream of conscious being.
पावका नः सरस्वती वाजेभिः वाजिनीवती
यज्ञं वष्टु धियावसुः
pāvakā naḥ sarasvatī vājebhiḥ vājinīvatī
yajñaṁ vaṣṭu dhiyāvasuḥ
May the purifying sarasvatī, with plentiful types of plenitudes
Rich in the substance made by thoughts, desire our yajña
madhuccandāḥ first hearkens to sarasvatī to purify and remove the layers of falsehood embedded in our emotions, will and action. sarasvatī is capable of giving us everything in all possible forms and plentifully, as ascribed by the Sanskrit word, vāja ― the plenitude of all forms. She is also rich in dhiyāvasuḥ ― the substance of thought and invoked to bless our [inner] pilgrim-sacrifice.
The vedic idea was that the subconscient darkness and the ordinary life of ignorance held concealed in it all that belongs to divinity. The secret riches are recovered by destroying the powers of falsehood and ignorance.
चोदयित्री सूनृतानां चेतन्ती सुमतीनाम्
यज्ञं दधे सरस्वती
codayitrī sūnṛtānāṁ cetantī sumatīnām
yajñaṁ dadhe sarasvatī
She is the impeller of auspicious truths and the awakener of all happy thoughts
May that sarasvatī uphold the yajña
sarasvatī makes us become more conscious so that we do not turn to the paths of falsehood, creating in us right states of emotion and right movements of thought ― impelling the truth to manifest in our emotions, will and action; the vedic word, sumatīnām, especially meaning the happiness in our thoughts accompanied by a gladness in our souls.
महो अर्णः सरस्वती प्र चेतयति केतुना
धियो विश्वा वि राजति
maho arṇaḥ sarasvatī pra cetayati ketunā
dhiyo viśvā vi rājati
sarasvatī awakens the great flood [of truth] by the revelation in the consciousness
She illumines entirely all thoughts
By her constant awakening and impulsion ― collectively called ketu, or perception, sarasvatī brings into our active consciousness, the truth-consciousness itself, what the ancient vedic ṝṣi referred to as maho arṇaḥ or great ocean.
So ends the first hymn of the ṛgveda to sarasvatī, the power of inspiration.
Peace
S
Saturday, August 09, 2008
The Leader of our Journey
The ṛgveda, as I believe, is the record of our human fathers, pitaro manuṣyaḥ, who have conquered immortality by the work, and having reached this goal, are invoked to assist a later mortal race in the same divine achievement. It is the great journeys – from mortality to immortality – from falsehood to the truth – that our ancestors accomplished, opening the way for their descendants.
The imagery is also very clear. The following excerpt from one of Sri Aurobindo’s works is relevant. Here he speaks about the ṛṣi vasiṣṭha who invokes the divine powers in VII.42 and VII.52 of the veda.
In the first, he sings, “Ease of travelling for Thee is the path, O agni and known to Thee from of old. . . . Seated, I call the births divine.” This path is between the home of these divine powers and our earthly mortality down which the divinities descend, through the antarikṣa, the vital regions to the earthly sacrifice and up which the sacrifice and man by the sacrifice ascends to the home of the divine. agni yokes his steeds, the flames of the divine force he represents, which bear the hero within us that performs the journey.
The 52nd hymn is more significant. It first runs – आदित्यासो अदितयः स्याम – ādityāso aditayaḥ syāma – O, sons of the infinite mother, may we become infinite beings. It goes on to say – सनेम मित्रावरुणा सनन्तो भवेम द्यावापृथिवि भवन्तः – sanema mitrāvaruṇā sananto bhavema dyāvāpṛthivi bhavantaḥ – possessing may we possess you, o mitrā and varuṇā, becoming may we become you, O heaven and earth – evidently, in the sense that we are to possess and become the infinities or children of aditi.
In this journey, it is our great friend, agni, who guides us. He is both beginning and end, leading us from the start, helping and supporting us through the journey, till we at last reach his abode. He shows us vājasya panthaṁ – the path to the plenitude; ṝtasya pantham –the path of righteousness and asuryam ā aruhat – makes us climb to greatness.
I was recently reading maṇdala 5 of the ṛgveda which contains the hymns of the atri ṛṣi. My principal affinity towards the atri ṛṣi stems from the fact that their work comprises divinising life – as our journey progresses, the states of inconscience and darkness are dispelled and give way to conscious awareness. The fourth hymn sung by ṛṣi vasuśruta invokes agni – the divine will, priest, warrior and leader of our journey and one of my own beloved deities.
त्वामग्ने वसुपतिं वसूनामभि प्र मन्दे अध्वरेषु राजन्
त्वया वजं वाजयन्तो जयेमाऽभि ष्याम पृत्सुतीर्मर्त्यानाम्
tvāmagne vasupatiṁ vasūnāmabhi pra mande adhvareṣu rājan
tvayā vajaṁ vājayanto jayemā'bhi ṣyāma pṛtsutīrmartyānām
O agni, wealth-master of riches, I direct my delight towards thee in the pilgrim-sacrifice
O king, replenishing thee may we conquer the plenitude, may we overcome the battle hosts of the mortals
हव्यवाळग्निरजरः पिता नो विभुर्विभावा सुदृशीको अस्मे
सुगार्हपत्याः समिषो दिदीह्यस्मध्रक् सं मिमीहि श्रवांसि
havyavāt agniḥ ajaraḥ pitā no vibhuḥ vibhāvā sudṛśīkaḥ asme
sugārhapatyāḥ sam iṣaḥ didīhi asmadhrak saṁ mimīhi śravāṁsi
The ageless agni, who carries the offering, is our father. He is pervasive in his being, perfect in vision and extended in light
Accomplished in works of the master of the house, blaze out your forces – form the inspirations of knowledge and turn them towards us
विशां कविं विश्पतिं मानुषीणाम् शुचिं पावकं घृतपृष्ठमग्निम्
नि होतारं विश्वविदं दधिध्वे स देवेषु वनते वार्याणि
viśāṁ kaviṁ viśpatiṁ mānuṣīṇām śuciṁ pāvakaṁ ghṛtapṛṣṭhamagnim
ni hotāraṁ viśvavidaṁ dadhidhve sa deveṣu vanate vāryāṇi
The seer, master of men, lord of the human people, pure and purifying with its back of light
Set within you, agni, as the omniscient priest of the call, he shall win our desirable things in the godheads
जुषस्वाग्न इळया सजोषा यतमानो रश्मिभिः सूर्यस्य
जुषस्व नः समिधं जातवेद आ च देवान् हविर्द्याय वक्षि
juṣasvāgna iḻayā sajoṣā yatamāno raśmibhiḥ sūryasya
juṣasva naḥ samidhaṁ jātaveda ā ca devān haviḥ adyāya vakṣi
Take pleasure in us, o agni – of one mind with ilā, the goddess of revelation, labouring with the rays of the sun
Accept with pleasure our fuel, o knower of all things born and bring the gods to us to partake in our sacrifice
जुष्टो दमूना अतिथिर्दुरोण इमं नो यज्ञमुप याहि विद्वान्
विश्वा अग्ने अभियुजो विहत्या शत्रूयतामा भरा भोजनानि
juṣṭo damūnā atithiḥ duroṇa imaṁ no yajñam upa yāhi vidvān
viśvā agne abhiyujo vihatyā śatrūyatām ā bharā bhojanāni
A cherished guest domiciled in our gated house, come to the sacrifice of ours as the knower
O agni, slaying all [hostile energies*] who assail us, bring to us the enjoyments of those who make themselves our enemy
[*all hostile energies that attack the soul of man possess certain energies which he needs and has to wrest from them in order to arrive at his perfect plenitude]
वधेन दस्युं प्र हि चातयस्व वयः कृण्वानस्तन्वे स्वायै
पिपर्षि यत् सहसस्पुत्र देवान्त्सो अग्ने पाहि नृतम वाजे अस्मान्
vadhena dasyuṁ pra hi cātayasva vayaḥ kṛṇvānaḥ tanve svāyai
piparṣi yat sahasaḥ putra devān saḥ agne pāhi nṛtama vāje asmān
Chase the destroyer from us with your blow; make a free space for growth for your own body
When, o son of force, you are carrying the gods; guard us in the plenitude, o agni, mightiest deity
वयं ते अग्न उक्थैर्विधेम वयं हव्यैः पावक भद्रशोचे
अस्मे रयिं विश्ववारं समिन्वास्मे विश्वानि द्रविणानि धेहि
vayaṁ te agna ukthaiḥ vidhema vayaṁ havyaiḥ pāvaka bhadraśoce
asme rayiṁ viśvavāraṁ saminva asme viśvāni draviṇāni dhehi
May we worship thee with our words, o agni; worship thee with our offerings, o purifier, o happy light
Bring into us the treasure in which are all desirable things; establish in us substance of every kind of riches
अस्माकमग्ने अध्वरं जुषस्व सहसः सूनो त्रिषधस्थ हव्यम्
वयं देवेषु सुकृतः स्याम शर्मणा नस्त्रिवरूथेन पाहि
asmākam agne adhvaraṁ juṣasva sahasaḥ sūno triṣadhastha havyam
vayaṁ deveṣu sukṛtaḥ syāma śarmaṇā naḥ trivarūthena pāhi
Accept our pilgrim-sacrifice, o agni; accept our offering, o son of force [and] holder of the triple worlds [of your session]
May we be doers of good deeds before the godheads; protect us with a triple armour of peace
विश्वानि नो दुर्गहा जातवेद सिन्धु न नावा दुरिताति पर्षि
अग्ने अत्रिवन्नमसा गृणानोऽस्माकं बोध्यविता तनूनाम्
viśvāni no durgahā jātaveda sindhu na nāvā durita ati parṣi
agne atrivat namasā gṛṇāno asmākaṁ bodhi avitā tanūnām
Carry us through all difficult passages, o knower of all things born; through all calamities like a ship over the ocean
O agni, voiced by us with our obeisance, even as did the [sage] atri, awake and be the guardian of our bodies
यस्त्वा हृदा कीरिणा मन्यमानोऽमर्त्यं मर्त्यो जोहवीमि
जातवेदो यशो अस्मासु धेहि प्रजाभिरग्ने अमृतत्वमश्याम्
yah tvā hṛdā kīriṇā manyamānaḥ amartyaṁ martyaḥ johavīmi
jātavedaḥ yaśaḥ asmāsu dhehi prajābhiḥ agne amṛtatvam aśyām
I think of thee with a heart that is thy singer, and mortal, I call to thee immortal
Establish the glory in us, o knower of all things born, by [the children of] my works, may I win immortality, o agni
यस्मै त्वं सुकृते जातवेद उ लोकमग्ने कृणवः स्योनम्
अश्विनं स पुत्रिणं वीरवन्तं गोमन्तं रयिं नशते स्वस्ति
yasmai tvaṁ sukṛte jātaveda u lokam agne kṛṇavaḥ syonam
aśvinaṁ sa putriṇaṁ vīravantaṁ gomantaṁ rayiṁ naśate svasti
O knower of all things born, doer of greats deeds for whom you shall make that happy other world
Reaches in peace a wealth, in which are the horses of swiftness, the ray-cows, the son and the heroes**
[**the ancient vedic symbols of the Horse, Cow, Son and Hero recur here as well. The vital powers are the motive forces that bear us on our journey and symbolised by the horse; the herds are the illuminations that come to us from the Truth, the herding rays of the sun of Light, symbolised by the cow; the sons are the new soul-formations comprising the divine personality within us; and the heroes are the mental and moral energies within us that resist the assault of ignorance, division and falsehood]
So ends a hymn to the Divinity that knows all successive births of the soul in its ascending plans of existence.
Peace
S
PS: Sri Aurobindo's writing quoted above and the poetic translation of the hymn 5.4 above (c) Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust 1998.
The imagery is also very clear. The following excerpt from one of Sri Aurobindo’s works is relevant. Here he speaks about the ṛṣi vasiṣṭha who invokes the divine powers in VII.42 and VII.52 of the veda.
In the first, he sings, “Ease of travelling for Thee is the path, O agni and known to Thee from of old. . . . Seated, I call the births divine.” This path is between the home of these divine powers and our earthly mortality down which the divinities descend, through the antarikṣa, the vital regions to the earthly sacrifice and up which the sacrifice and man by the sacrifice ascends to the home of the divine. agni yokes his steeds, the flames of the divine force he represents, which bear the hero within us that performs the journey.
The 52nd hymn is more significant. It first runs – आदित्यासो अदितयः स्याम – ādityāso aditayaḥ syāma – O, sons of the infinite mother, may we become infinite beings. It goes on to say – सनेम मित्रावरुणा सनन्तो भवेम द्यावापृथिवि भवन्तः – sanema mitrāvaruṇā sananto bhavema dyāvāpṛthivi bhavantaḥ – possessing may we possess you, o mitrā and varuṇā, becoming may we become you, O heaven and earth – evidently, in the sense that we are to possess and become the infinities or children of aditi.
In this journey, it is our great friend, agni, who guides us. He is both beginning and end, leading us from the start, helping and supporting us through the journey, till we at last reach his abode. He shows us vājasya panthaṁ – the path to the plenitude; ṝtasya pantham –the path of righteousness and asuryam ā aruhat – makes us climb to greatness.
I was recently reading maṇdala 5 of the ṛgveda which contains the hymns of the atri ṛṣi. My principal affinity towards the atri ṛṣi stems from the fact that their work comprises divinising life – as our journey progresses, the states of inconscience and darkness are dispelled and give way to conscious awareness. The fourth hymn sung by ṛṣi vasuśruta invokes agni – the divine will, priest, warrior and leader of our journey and one of my own beloved deities.
त्वामग्ने वसुपतिं वसूनामभि प्र मन्दे अध्वरेषु राजन्
त्वया वजं वाजयन्तो जयेमाऽभि ष्याम पृत्सुतीर्मर्त्यानाम्
tvāmagne vasupatiṁ vasūnāmabhi pra mande adhvareṣu rājan
tvayā vajaṁ vājayanto jayemā'bhi ṣyāma pṛtsutīrmartyānām
O agni, wealth-master of riches, I direct my delight towards thee in the pilgrim-sacrifice
O king, replenishing thee may we conquer the plenitude, may we overcome the battle hosts of the mortals
हव्यवाळग्निरजरः पिता नो विभुर्विभावा सुदृशीको अस्मे
सुगार्हपत्याः समिषो दिदीह्यस्मध्रक् सं मिमीहि श्रवांसि
havyavāt agniḥ ajaraḥ pitā no vibhuḥ vibhāvā sudṛśīkaḥ asme
sugārhapatyāḥ sam iṣaḥ didīhi asmadhrak saṁ mimīhi śravāṁsi
The ageless agni, who carries the offering, is our father. He is pervasive in his being, perfect in vision and extended in light
Accomplished in works of the master of the house, blaze out your forces – form the inspirations of knowledge and turn them towards us
विशां कविं विश्पतिं मानुषीणाम् शुचिं पावकं घृतपृष्ठमग्निम्
नि होतारं विश्वविदं दधिध्वे स देवेषु वनते वार्याणि
viśāṁ kaviṁ viśpatiṁ mānuṣīṇām śuciṁ pāvakaṁ ghṛtapṛṣṭhamagnim
ni hotāraṁ viśvavidaṁ dadhidhve sa deveṣu vanate vāryāṇi
The seer, master of men, lord of the human people, pure and purifying with its back of light
Set within you, agni, as the omniscient priest of the call, he shall win our desirable things in the godheads
जुषस्वाग्न इळया सजोषा यतमानो रश्मिभिः सूर्यस्य
जुषस्व नः समिधं जातवेद आ च देवान् हविर्द्याय वक्षि
juṣasvāgna iḻayā sajoṣā yatamāno raśmibhiḥ sūryasya
juṣasva naḥ samidhaṁ jātaveda ā ca devān haviḥ adyāya vakṣi
Take pleasure in us, o agni – of one mind with ilā, the goddess of revelation, labouring with the rays of the sun
Accept with pleasure our fuel, o knower of all things born and bring the gods to us to partake in our sacrifice
जुष्टो दमूना अतिथिर्दुरोण इमं नो यज्ञमुप याहि विद्वान्
विश्वा अग्ने अभियुजो विहत्या शत्रूयतामा भरा भोजनानि
juṣṭo damūnā atithiḥ duroṇa imaṁ no yajñam upa yāhi vidvān
viśvā agne abhiyujo vihatyā śatrūyatām ā bharā bhojanāni
A cherished guest domiciled in our gated house, come to the sacrifice of ours as the knower
O agni, slaying all [hostile energies*] who assail us, bring to us the enjoyments of those who make themselves our enemy
[*all hostile energies that attack the soul of man possess certain energies which he needs and has to wrest from them in order to arrive at his perfect plenitude]
वधेन दस्युं प्र हि चातयस्व वयः कृण्वानस्तन्वे स्वायै
पिपर्षि यत् सहसस्पुत्र देवान्त्सो अग्ने पाहि नृतम वाजे अस्मान्
vadhena dasyuṁ pra hi cātayasva vayaḥ kṛṇvānaḥ tanve svāyai
piparṣi yat sahasaḥ putra devān saḥ agne pāhi nṛtama vāje asmān
Chase the destroyer from us with your blow; make a free space for growth for your own body
When, o son of force, you are carrying the gods; guard us in the plenitude, o agni, mightiest deity
वयं ते अग्न उक्थैर्विधेम वयं हव्यैः पावक भद्रशोचे
अस्मे रयिं विश्ववारं समिन्वास्मे विश्वानि द्रविणानि धेहि
vayaṁ te agna ukthaiḥ vidhema vayaṁ havyaiḥ pāvaka bhadraśoce
asme rayiṁ viśvavāraṁ saminva asme viśvāni draviṇāni dhehi
May we worship thee with our words, o agni; worship thee with our offerings, o purifier, o happy light
Bring into us the treasure in which are all desirable things; establish in us substance of every kind of riches
अस्माकमग्ने अध्वरं जुषस्व सहसः सूनो त्रिषधस्थ हव्यम्
वयं देवेषु सुकृतः स्याम शर्मणा नस्त्रिवरूथेन पाहि
asmākam agne adhvaraṁ juṣasva sahasaḥ sūno triṣadhastha havyam
vayaṁ deveṣu sukṛtaḥ syāma śarmaṇā naḥ trivarūthena pāhi
Accept our pilgrim-sacrifice, o agni; accept our offering, o son of force [and] holder of the triple worlds [of your session]
May we be doers of good deeds before the godheads; protect us with a triple armour of peace
विश्वानि नो दुर्गहा जातवेद सिन्धु न नावा दुरिताति पर्षि
अग्ने अत्रिवन्नमसा गृणानोऽस्माकं बोध्यविता तनूनाम्
viśvāni no durgahā jātaveda sindhu na nāvā durita ati parṣi
agne atrivat namasā gṛṇāno asmākaṁ bodhi avitā tanūnām
Carry us through all difficult passages, o knower of all things born; through all calamities like a ship over the ocean
O agni, voiced by us with our obeisance, even as did the [sage] atri, awake and be the guardian of our bodies
यस्त्वा हृदा कीरिणा मन्यमानोऽमर्त्यं मर्त्यो जोहवीमि
जातवेदो यशो अस्मासु धेहि प्रजाभिरग्ने अमृतत्वमश्याम्
yah tvā hṛdā kīriṇā manyamānaḥ amartyaṁ martyaḥ johavīmi
jātavedaḥ yaśaḥ asmāsu dhehi prajābhiḥ agne amṛtatvam aśyām
I think of thee with a heart that is thy singer, and mortal, I call to thee immortal
Establish the glory in us, o knower of all things born, by [the children of] my works, may I win immortality, o agni
यस्मै त्वं सुकृते जातवेद उ लोकमग्ने कृणवः स्योनम्
अश्विनं स पुत्रिणं वीरवन्तं गोमन्तं रयिं नशते स्वस्ति
yasmai tvaṁ sukṛte jātaveda u lokam agne kṛṇavaḥ syonam
aśvinaṁ sa putriṇaṁ vīravantaṁ gomantaṁ rayiṁ naśate svasti
O knower of all things born, doer of greats deeds for whom you shall make that happy other world
Reaches in peace a wealth, in which are the horses of swiftness, the ray-cows, the son and the heroes**
[**the ancient vedic symbols of the Horse, Cow, Son and Hero recur here as well. The vital powers are the motive forces that bear us on our journey and symbolised by the horse; the herds are the illuminations that come to us from the Truth, the herding rays of the sun of Light, symbolised by the cow; the sons are the new soul-formations comprising the divine personality within us; and the heroes are the mental and moral energies within us that resist the assault of ignorance, division and falsehood]
So ends a hymn to the Divinity that knows all successive births of the soul in its ascending plans of existence.
Peace
S
PS: Sri Aurobindo's writing quoted above and the poetic translation of the hymn 5.4 above (c) Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust 1998.
Monday, June 23, 2008
The Dance
See the picture in the hall
Framed in magic on the wall
Ain't it funny how it glows
What's on the inside
No one knows
What makes this picture
So inviting
To those who stand outside it
Maybe it's the dancers
Or maybe it's the dance
The dancer dances
Thousands fill the gallery
They pay their price to see a dream
They can make believe for free
Two hours' worth of fantasy
Maybe they pretend
The picture's them
Or maybe they just love
To sit and blend
Tonight the picture has no frame
Colours unleash and float away
To each and everyone of you
Tonight the spirit brings the news
You become a part of it all
Thousands turn to one in the hall
You become the dancer
And we become the dance
The dancer dances
The dancer dances
The dancer dances
And we become the dancer
And you become the dance
Let go. . . It is an indescribable feeling!!!
Peace
S
"The Dance" lyrics, copyrighted to Uriah Heep, all rights reserved.
Framed in magic on the wall
Ain't it funny how it glows
What's on the inside
No one knows
What makes this picture
So inviting
To those who stand outside it
Maybe it's the dancers
Or maybe it's the dance
The dancer dances
Thousands fill the gallery
They pay their price to see a dream
They can make believe for free
Two hours' worth of fantasy
Maybe they pretend
The picture's them
Or maybe they just love
To sit and blend
Tonight the picture has no frame
Colours unleash and float away
To each and everyone of you
Tonight the spirit brings the news
You become a part of it all
Thousands turn to one in the hall
You become the dancer
And we become the dance
The dancer dances
The dancer dances
The dancer dances
And we become the dancer
And you become the dance
Let go. . . It is an indescribable feeling!!!
Peace
S
"The Dance" lyrics, copyrighted to Uriah Heep, all rights reserved.
Thought For The Day
"The purpose of fish traps is to catch fish. When the fish are caught, the traps are forgotten. The purpose of rabbit snares is to catch rabbits. When the rabbits are caught, the snares are forgotten. The purpose of words is to convey ideas. When the ideas are grasped, the words are forgotten. Where is the man who has forgotten all words. He is the one I would like to speak with." - Chuang Tse
Saturday, June 07, 2008
On the Death Penalty
Justice is about equity and harmony. Revenge is simply making one feel good about oneself albeit in a petty fashion.
A death penalty imposed by any Court of Law is simply state-sponsored revenge. It does not correct or remedy. It simply adds to the waves of evil floating around us already.
I cannot, in any conscience, support the concept of capital punishment.
S
A death penalty imposed by any Court of Law is simply state-sponsored revenge. It does not correct or remedy. It simply adds to the waves of evil floating around us already.
I cannot, in any conscience, support the concept of capital punishment.
S
Friday, April 25, 2008
On Singular Malts
Here’s an old article of mine that for some strange reason I have never put up on the blog, although it has found its way to some other food-related sites. A curious trail of events – one of my friends, Chandrashekhar who runs http://www.sigfood.org/ landing up home with a gift hamper of two bottles of single malt – last week an archaeologist friend had come home for dinner and we were sipping some Glen Morangie – I was reading the Malt Maniac’s issue #109 at http://www.maltmaniacs.org/ just yesterday; and so I thought I’d dig this out of my hard drive and put it down on the blog. In case you are wondering what the Lagavulin bottle is doing here, read on. . .I am a self-confessed single malt aficionado. I prefer the smoky and peaty whiskies and my travel schedule permits me the luxury of indulging in some rare malts at the whiskey bars of London and New York. Among the 80-90 plus malts that I have sampled or drunk, my personal favourites remain a select few. Here’s them then:
Laphroaig (pronounced La-froyg) Quarter Cask
My first single malt experience was with a Laphroaig 10-year and I simply loved it then. Laphroaig still remains a favourite house malt. Having had the cask strength Laphroaig as well long ago, I only recently discovered the Quarter Cask and really like it for its smoky palate and finish (the smokiness lingers). Have this with sips of cool water on the side. Its heavenly!!! Here's more on the QC from Laphroaig's site
Talisker Distiller's Edition
The 1986 Distillers Edition is probably one of the signature malts in my book. The essence of this malt is the absolutely fantastic interspersing of sherry and whisky. The sweet fruity and toffee character comes to the fore and then just as you try and get your tongue around it, is replaced by a peaty peppery edge in an oh-so smooth way. More on the Distiller's Edition tasting notes here. Definitely highly recommended.
The Macallan 1970 Vintage, 32-year old
What can I say but that it’s different. Oakey with the trademark Macallan spiciness and a nice pepper finish. This is almost a limited edition malt, so these days I usually settle for its poor country cousin equivalent, the Macallan 12-year Fine Oak. But, perchance you find the 32-year old, do not pass it up!!! I first drank this at the Salt Bar in London post a great meal at the Strada and really enjoyed it that evening.
Glenfarclas 105
At a cask strength of 60%, this is for the serious malt whisky drinker who also wishes to get a booster shot early in a session. The whisky itself seared my throat the first time I drank it and I was coughing a fair bit before I recovered. Since then, I have been particularly careful to sip it and also have some water on the side handy. A very grim whisky. Here's the tasting note from the distillery.
Bunnahabhain 12 years (pronounced Boona-hay-vun)
This 40% proof distillery bottled malt is among my recommendations for a malt beginner. It might be appropriate to add here that the Islay (pronounced eye - la) is the greatest of the whisky Islands, deep in Peat and lashed by the rain, wind and sea. The varied complex flavours in an Islay malt are often challenging to the palate. Islay malts tend to be very very peaty in character Anyways, not to digress, there is a peatyness about the Bunnahabhain that is quite faint making it a very palatable malt. Like I said, a nice introduction to the world of single malts generally. If you find it strong, please add a little water to release the flavour. Check out their website here and I recommend the flash version.
Ardbeg Still Young
There's an anecdote I was told before I was given a taste of this whisky. The Ardbeg mascot is a Jack Russell terrier called Shorty. These guys at the distillery invented Justy, Shorty's son and parallely released the latest arrival from the Ardbeg homestead, called the Ardbeg Still Young - its an almost work -in-progress whisky - in 2006 thereabouts. I quite liked the spice peat and cocoa/coffee taste of this malt. Will be sure to taste/imbibe copious quantities on future occassions that present themselves, hahahahaha!!!!
Cragganmore 1987 Distillers Edition
This is a superb Speyside whisky, finished in Ruby Port casks, giving its palate a fruity note and of course 'port'y flavour. The lingering soft smoke is perfect to start the evening off and continue onwards as well. To be enjoyed with your favorite cigar!!! Here's the tasting note on the Distiller's edition.
Lagavulin 16-Year Old (the old bottling, not the newer Port Ellen vintage)
I first read about the bottling and was wondering where I would procure a tasting when I coincidentally received this as a gift from my brother!!! Personally, I rate it as the best malt whiskey I have and drank (yes, drank) severally and one I grew to love because of it taste - really smoky, peaty and slightly salty. I learnt a peculiar phrase associated with this as well from a malt maniac - he described it as 'salmiak', possessing a salty ammoniac taste. All told, a great malt and one that I love to stock up at home. Here's the tasting note on the 16 y-o.
Caol Ila 18 years (pronounced Kaal-eea)
Very fragrant nose and highly firm palate, I also love the exceptionally smooth finish. I personally rate this my after dinner malt of choice, with a cigar in the other hand!!! I first started off with the 12 y-o and then found I quite liked the 18 y-o as well. Check this out.
Other likings include the Peat Monster from the Compass Box Distillery and the classic 18 year old bottling from the Isle of Jura.
Happy tippling.
Cheers
S
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Let Auspicious Impulsions Come To Us
Over a decade ago I came across a didactic statement in a book, “Let noble thoughts come to us from all sides.” I was curious as to who the author of this statement was and finally managed to trace this to the ṛgveda, albeit to a more pristine form. This enigmatic statement was what first spurred me to start reading this ancient scripture and make the effort, as it still is, to understand what it contains.
Since that date, I have pursued the path of spiritual knowledge, to learn and understand the experiences of our human fathers and their yajña, in the hope that I will also benefit from and be able to emulate their example one day. Today I happened to reread the entire hymn that changed the course of my life so many years ago. It is a hymn of ten parts revealed to the ṛṣi gotama rāhūgaṇaḥ and I reproduce it here:
आ नो भद्राः क्रतवो यन्तु विश्वतोऽदब्धासो अपरितास उद्भिदः ।
देवा नो यथा सदमिद्वृधे असन्नप्रायुवो रक्षितारो दिवे दिवे ॥
ā no bhadrāḥ kratavo yantu viśvato'dabdhāso aparitāsa udbhidaḥ
devā no yathā sadamidvṛdhe asannaprāyuvo rakṣitāro dive dive
May auspicious impulsions come to us from all sides
Which harm no one, are unimpeded and victorious over the forces of division
May the Gods always be for our increase, never moving away from us
But always guarding us day by day
देवानां भद्रा सुमतिरृजूयतां देवानां रातिरभि नो नि वर्तताम् ।
देवानां सख्यमुप सेदिमा वयं देवा न आयुः प्र तिरन्तु जीवसे ॥
devānāṁ bhadrā sumatirṛjūyatāṁ devānāṁ rātirabhi no ni vartatām
devānāṁ sakhyamupa sedimā vayaṁ devā na āyuḥ pra tirantu jīvase
May the auspicious and right thinking of the Gods be ours
May their gifts to righteous persons be also bestowed upon us
May we attend to the friendship of the Gods
May the Gods extend our life span
तान् पूर्वया निविदा हूमहे वयं भगं मित्रमदितिं दक्षमस्रिधम् ।
अर्यमणं वरुणं सोममश्विना सरस्वती नः सुभगा मयस्करत् ॥
tān pūrvayā nividā hūmahe vayaṁ bhagaṁ mitramaditiṁ dakṣamasridham
aryamaṇaṁ varuṇaṁ somamaśvinā sarasvatī naḥ subhagā mayaskarat
With the ancient word, we call them
bhaga, mitra, aditi, the unerring dakṣa
aryamaṇ, varuṇa, soma and the aśvins
May felicitious sarasvatī grant us bliss
तन्नो वातो मयोभु वातु भेषजं तन्माता पृथिवी तत्पिता द्यौः ।
तद् ग्रावाणः सोमसुतो मयोभुवस्तद् अश्विना शृणुतं धिष्ण्या युवम् ॥
tanno vāto mayobhu vātu bheṣajaṁ tanmātā pṛthivī tatpitā dyauḥ
tad grāvāṇaḥ somasuto mayobhuvastad aśvinā śṛṇutaṁ dhiṣṇyā yuvam
May vāyu waft for us the felicitious medicaments
May Mother Earth and Father Heaven bring it
May the felicitious stones preparing the soma secure it
May the aśvins hear our call with understanding
तमीशानं जगतस्तस्थुषस्पतिं धियंजिन्वमवसे हूमहे वयम् ।
पूषा नो यथा वेदसामसद्वृधे रक्षिता पायुरदब्धः स्वस्तये ॥
tamīśānaṁ jagatastasthuṣaspatiṁ dhiyaṁjinvamavase hūmahe vayam
pūṣā no yathā vedasāmasadvṛdhe rakṣitā pāyuradabdhaḥ svastaye
The lord, the protector of all things, mobile or stationary
Who fills all with enlightened thought, him we call for protection
He, pūṣān, has been the increaser and guardian of our knowledge
May he, unobstructed, promote our welfare
स्वस्ति न इन्द्रो वृद्धश्रवाः स्वस्ति नः पूषा विश्ववेदाः ।
स्वस्ति नस्तार्क्ष्यो अरिष्टनेमि स्वस्ति नो बृहस्पतिर्दधातु ॥
svasti na indro vṛddhaśravāḥ svasti naḥ pūṣā viśvavedāḥ
svasti nastārkṣyo ariṣṭanemi svasti no bṛhaspatirdadhātu
May indra, of wide fame, promote our welfare
May pūṣān, all knower, make us prosper
May tārkṣya, with non-injuring fellies, promote our welfare
May bṛhaspati make us prosper
पृषदश्वा मरुतः पृश्निमातरः शुभंयावानो विदथेषु जग्मयः ।
अग्निजिह्वा मनवः सूरचक्षसो विश्वे नो देवा अवसा गमन्निह ॥
pṛṣadaśvā marutaḥ pṛśnimātaraḥ śubhaṁyāvāno vidatheṣu jagmayaḥ
agnijihvā manavaḥ sūracakṣaso viśve no devā avasā gamanniha
The maruts, sons of pṛśni, with deer of pure white spots
Who are of happy gait, go frequently to the place of the inner yajña where knowledge is revealed
They are the knowers radiant as the sun, with agni as their tongue
May these Gcome here for our protection
भद्रं कर्णेभिः शृणुयाम देवा भद्रं पश्येमाक्षभिर्यजत्राः ।
स्थिरैरड़्गैस्तुष्टुवांसस्तनूभिर्व्यशेम देवहितं यदायुः ॥
bhadraṁ karṇebhiḥ śṛṇuyāma devā bhadraṁ paśyemākṣabhiryajatrāḥ
sthirairaṛgaistuṣṭuvāṁsastanūbhirvyaśema devahitaṁ yadāyuḥ
O Gods, may we hear only what is auspicious
O worshipful ones, may we behold with our eyes only what is auspicious
Praising you with bodies having firm limbs
May we enjoy the god-given span of life
शतमिन्नु शरदो अन्ति देवा यत्रा नश्चक्रा जरसं तनूनाम् ।
पुत्रासो यत्र पितरो भवन्ति मा नो मध्या रीरिषतायुर्गन्तोः ॥
śataminnu śarado anti devā yatrā naścakrā jarasaṁ tanūnām
putrāso yatra pitaro bhavanti mā no madhyā rīriṣatāyurgantoḥ
May we be in your proximity for a hundred years, o Gods
Before the decay or old age strikes our bodies
Before our sons become fathers
Interrupt not the span of our life journey in the middle
अदितिर्द्यौरदितिरन्तरिक्षम् अदितिर्माता स पिता स पुत्रः ।
विश्वे देवा अदितिः पञ्च जना अदितिर्जातमदितिर्जनित्वम् ॥
aditirdyauraditirantarikṣam aditirmātā sa pitā sa putraḥ
viśve devā aditiḥ pañca janā aditirjātamaditirjanitvam
aditi is heaven, aditi is the mid-world
aditi is the mother, aditi is the father and son
She is the collectivity of all the gods, she is the five people
aditi is all that is born and what is yet to be born
The idea behind this is that the cultivation of enlightened thought dealing with the welfare of all, automatically also gives us protection. The circumstances which confront us, beneficial or otherwise, are caused by our own thoughts
Even today, when I read these verses, I continue to be inspired by their profundity. Onward and upward.
Peace
S
Saturday, April 12, 2008
We Look At It But Do Not See It. . .
We look at it but do not see it;
We name this "the minute."
We listen to it but do not hear it;
We name this "the rarified."
We touch it but do not hold it;
We name this "the level and the smooth."
These three cannot be examined to the limit.
Thus they merge together as one.
“One”—there is nothing more encompassing above it,
And nothing smaller below it.
Boundless, formless! It cannot be named,
And returns to the state of no-thing.
This is called the formless form,
The substanceless image
This is called the subtle and indistinct.
Follow it and you won’t see its back;
Greet it and you won’t see its head.
Hold on to the Way of the present—
And to know the ancient beginning.
This is called the beginning of the thread of the Way.
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
The 10 Principles of Dharma
Dharma pertains to righteous conduct in society by a person which transcends any particular religious or spiritual system. It gives a personal road-map by which all activity should be regulated for all peoples in all societies from all times at all times.
1. Dharma is Unchanging.
The key characteristic of Dharma is that it does not change based on whims, fads or trends, but is timeless and eternal. The values of Dharma do not change as society changes. Rather it is Dharma which governs HOW societies should function at all times.
2. Dharma is Natural
Dharma is not an artificial imposition on the mind but rather the essence of man. Only by acting in a dharmic manner will man truly be at peace with himself. It is un-dharmic conduct which is imposed on us due to the dictates of our senses, mind and pressures of society.
3. Dharma is Service
Dharma is to always be performing service, whether it to be to one’s spouse, children, employer, work colleagues, customers and God. All action must be performed with a view to giving and not expecting: “All that which is not given is lost”
4. Dharma is Truth
That which is not founded on truthfulness can never stand, though it may appear to temporarily yield benefit. Accuracy, fidelity to the facts, honesty in speech and dealings, and above all the promotion of that which is right over wrong, even though it maybe unpalatable and unconventional in society must always be adhered to:
“The greatest sin of the mind is to believe something without evidence” – Thomas Huxley
5. Dharma is Responsibility
In all dealings the need to execute our duty, whether it be as a father, husband, employee or devotee, must take precedence over all other desires, whims, wants, needs and pursuit of personal gratification.
6. Dharma is Devotion
Action must not be performed grudgingly, for expectation of reward, or for one’s own sense of satisfaction. It must always be performed in a spirit of devotion, where the mere execution of the activity is the reward in itself.
7. Dharma is Gravity
Dharma is to never be frivolous and to take every second as being of supreme importance and precious for in this way we will value this life that God has given us and not waste it. Man is said to be a social animal but he must not fritter away his life like the animals for he has been endowed with the capacity for higher moral thinking. Such high thinking must always regulate our thought processes and transcend the urge to always reduce the way we see things via our basest instincts.
8. Dharma is Uninterrupted
The performance of Dharma is never impacted by considerations external to the activity being performed, but it always executed without hesitation and hindrance until it is completed.
9. Dharma is self-actualization
Man must always strive to rise to the highest level of his consciousness and come in touch with his real-self which is beyond the body and mind which are continually changing throughout one’s life. He must be at ease with his real identity as a spiritual and moral being, whose is more than simply a product of body chemistry and the society in which he was brought up. In this way all of mankind is united beyond the apparent differences which may exist due to the community and society in which one is born. This realization is real unity in diversity.
10. Dharma is Personal
Ultimately Dharma is always recognizing and acting on the basis that we and the people with whom we interact with are all unique, individual personalities who are all special in their own way. Though we are united spiritually, we are also different personalities in our own right. Recognizing this about ourselves and each other will ensure that each interaction will be supremely personal, touching, joyful and always emanating from the spontaneous recesses of the heart and not the calculations and manipulations of our mind.
Friday, April 04, 2008
May We Have The Bliss Creating Energies
आपो हि ष्ठा मयोभुवस्ता न ऊर्जे दधातन ।
महे रणाय चक्षसे ॥
यो वः शिवतमो रसस्तस्य भाजयतेह नः ।
उशतीरिव मातरः ॥
तस्मा अरं गमाम वो यस्य क्षयाय जिन्वथ ।
आपो जनयथा च नः ॥
āpo hi ṣṭhā mayobhuvastā na ūrje dadhātana
mahe raṇāya cakṣase
yo vaḥ śivatamo rasastasya bhājayateha naḥ
uśatīriva mātaraḥ
tasmā araṁ gamāma vo yasya kṣayāya jinvatha
āpo janayathā ca naḥ
May we have the bliss creating energies, may they establish in us abounding force
So that we may see the great delight
May we have here our share of your most auspicious essence
Like eager mothers (who bestor happiness on their children)
May we go readily to the abode to which you hasten us
And may the waters give us a new birth
(from the ṛgveda and the taittirīya samhitā of the yajurveda)
Peace
S
महे रणाय चक्षसे ॥
यो वः शिवतमो रसस्तस्य भाजयतेह नः ।
उशतीरिव मातरः ॥
तस्मा अरं गमाम वो यस्य क्षयाय जिन्वथ ।
आपो जनयथा च नः ॥
āpo hi ṣṭhā mayobhuvastā na ūrje dadhātana
mahe raṇāya cakṣase
yo vaḥ śivatamo rasastasya bhājayateha naḥ
uśatīriva mātaraḥ
tasmā araṁ gamāma vo yasya kṣayāya jinvatha
āpo janayathā ca naḥ
May we have the bliss creating energies, may they establish in us abounding force
So that we may see the great delight
May we have here our share of your most auspicious essence
Like eager mothers (who bestor happiness on their children)
May we go readily to the abode to which you hasten us
And may the waters give us a new birth
(from the ṛgveda and the taittirīya samhitā of the yajurveda)
Peace
S
May Our Sins Wither in Lament
I now return to agni, referred to by the ṛṣi kutsa āngirasa as “śucikā”, the purifier, in this hymn comprising eight verses (ṛgveda 1.97.1 -1.97.8).
As I have written earlier, the crude conception of sin, as a consequence of evil acts, did not have a place in the thoughts of the vedic thinkers. What they perceived however, was a force of Ignorance –manifesting itself, either as non-perception of Right and Truth in our mind or as non-seizing of Right and Truth in our will or simply as an inability of our life-instinct to follow after it or sheer inefficiency of the physical being to rise to the greatness of the Divine. To the vedic seer, sin was a violation of the divine Right and Truth.
The remedy for the removal of sin is to allow the forces of Truth to permeate every nook and corner of our bodies - physical (anna maya), vital (prāna maya) and mental (mano maya). In the ṛgveda, the prayers for the removal of sin are addressed to varuna as referred to earlier. In this sequence of eight verses, the prayer for the removal of sin is addressed to agni.
अप नः शोशुचदघमग्ने शुशुग्ध्या रयिम् ।
अप नः शोशुचदघम् ॥
सुक्षेत्रिया सुगातुया वसूया च यजामहे ।
अप नः शोशुचदघम् ॥
प्रयद्भन्दिष्ठ एषां प्रास्माकासश्च सूरयः ।
अप नः शोशुचदघम् ॥
प्र यत्ते अग्ने सूरयो जायेमहि प्रते वयम् ।
अप नः शोशुचदघम् ॥
प्र यदग्नेः सहस्वतो विश्वातो यन्ति भानवः ।
अप नः शोशुचदघम् ॥
त्वं हि विश्वतोमुख विश्वतः परिभुरसि ।
अप नः शोशुचदघम् ॥
द्विषो नो विश्वतोमुख अति नावेव पारय ।
अप नः शोशुचदघम् ॥
स नः सिन्धुमिव नावया अति पर्षा स्वस्तये ।
अप नः शोशुचदघम् ॥
apa naḥ śośucadaghamagne śuśugdhyā rayim
apa naḥ śośucadagham
sukṣetriyā sugātuyā vasūyā ca yajāmahe
apa naḥ śośucadagham
prayadbhandiṣṭhā eṣāṁ prāsmākāsaśca sūrayaḥ
apa naḥ śośucadagham
pra yatte agne sūrayo jāyemahi prate vayam
apa naḥ śośucadagham
pra yadagneḥ sahasvato viśvāto yanti bhānavaḥ
apa naḥ śośucadagham
tvaṁ hi viśvatomukha viśvataḥ paribhurasi
apa naḥ śośucadagham
dviṣo no viśvatomukha ati nāveva pāraya
apa naḥ śośucadagham
sa naḥ sindhumiva nāvayā ati parṣā svastaye
apa naḥ śośucadagham
O agni, may our sins wither in lament as you shine your divine riches [light and force] on us
May our sins wither in lament
For happy fields [physical (anna maya), vital (prāna maya) and mental (mano maya) for safe paths [the path of yajña, safe from foes] and for divine wealth we worship you
May our sins wither in lament
Most happy among those who praise [you] is kutsa [āngirasa], most happy are our wise ones
May our sins wither in lament
As your worshippers become wise, may we, your devotees, so become
May our sins wither in lament
As the conquering lustres of agni go everywhere [in our bodies] forcefully
May our sins wither in lament
With your face turned on everyside, you are our guardian everywhere
May our sins wither in lament
With your face turned on everyside carry us beyond our foes like a ship [takes people across a river]
May our sins wither in lament
[O agni], like a ship across the ocean, lead us beyond the foes [to the supreme station] for our welfare
May our sins wither in lament
agni is present in the course of our adhvara, the journey, right from its commencement through its entire course, before he finally leads us to his own home of Beatitude. Disinterested, sleepless and invincible, the divine will force agni works in the world as a universal soul of power housed in all beings. agni vaiśvānara, the greatest, most powerful, most brilliant and most impersonal of all cosmic deities - he claims no primacy, he seeks no separate end, merely content to be a worker for man, indeed he is man’s greatest helper, our most beloved friend.
Peace
S
As I have written earlier, the crude conception of sin, as a consequence of evil acts, did not have a place in the thoughts of the vedic thinkers. What they perceived however, was a force of Ignorance –manifesting itself, either as non-perception of Right and Truth in our mind or as non-seizing of Right and Truth in our will or simply as an inability of our life-instinct to follow after it or sheer inefficiency of the physical being to rise to the greatness of the Divine. To the vedic seer, sin was a violation of the divine Right and Truth.
The remedy for the removal of sin is to allow the forces of Truth to permeate every nook and corner of our bodies - physical (anna maya), vital (prāna maya) and mental (mano maya). In the ṛgveda, the prayers for the removal of sin are addressed to varuna as referred to earlier. In this sequence of eight verses, the prayer for the removal of sin is addressed to agni.
अप नः शोशुचदघमग्ने शुशुग्ध्या रयिम् ।
अप नः शोशुचदघम् ॥
सुक्षेत्रिया सुगातुया वसूया च यजामहे ।
अप नः शोशुचदघम् ॥
प्रयद्भन्दिष्ठ एषां प्रास्माकासश्च सूरयः ।
अप नः शोशुचदघम् ॥
प्र यत्ते अग्ने सूरयो जायेमहि प्रते वयम् ।
अप नः शोशुचदघम् ॥
प्र यदग्नेः सहस्वतो विश्वातो यन्ति भानवः ।
अप नः शोशुचदघम् ॥
त्वं हि विश्वतोमुख विश्वतः परिभुरसि ।
अप नः शोशुचदघम् ॥
द्विषो नो विश्वतोमुख अति नावेव पारय ।
अप नः शोशुचदघम् ॥
स नः सिन्धुमिव नावया अति पर्षा स्वस्तये ।
अप नः शोशुचदघम् ॥
apa naḥ śośucadaghamagne śuśugdhyā rayim
apa naḥ śośucadagham
sukṣetriyā sugātuyā vasūyā ca yajāmahe
apa naḥ śośucadagham
prayadbhandiṣṭhā eṣāṁ prāsmākāsaśca sūrayaḥ
apa naḥ śośucadagham
pra yatte agne sūrayo jāyemahi prate vayam
apa naḥ śośucadagham
pra yadagneḥ sahasvato viśvāto yanti bhānavaḥ
apa naḥ śośucadagham
tvaṁ hi viśvatomukha viśvataḥ paribhurasi
apa naḥ śośucadagham
dviṣo no viśvatomukha ati nāveva pāraya
apa naḥ śośucadagham
sa naḥ sindhumiva nāvayā ati parṣā svastaye
apa naḥ śośucadagham
O agni, may our sins wither in lament as you shine your divine riches [light and force] on us
May our sins wither in lament
For happy fields [physical (anna maya), vital (prāna maya) and mental (mano maya) for safe paths [the path of yajña, safe from foes] and for divine wealth we worship you
May our sins wither in lament
Most happy among those who praise [you] is kutsa [āngirasa], most happy are our wise ones
May our sins wither in lament
As your worshippers become wise, may we, your devotees, so become
May our sins wither in lament
As the conquering lustres of agni go everywhere [in our bodies] forcefully
May our sins wither in lament
With your face turned on everyside, you are our guardian everywhere
May our sins wither in lament
With your face turned on everyside carry us beyond our foes like a ship [takes people across a river]
May our sins wither in lament
[O agni], like a ship across the ocean, lead us beyond the foes [to the supreme station] for our welfare
May our sins wither in lament
agni is present in the course of our adhvara, the journey, right from its commencement through its entire course, before he finally leads us to his own home of Beatitude. Disinterested, sleepless and invincible, the divine will force agni works in the world as a universal soul of power housed in all beings. agni vaiśvānara, the greatest, most powerful, most brilliant and most impersonal of all cosmic deities - he claims no primacy, he seeks no separate end, merely content to be a worker for man, indeed he is man’s greatest helper, our most beloved friend.
Peace
S
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
The Four Agreements
I happened to stumble upon don Miguel Ruiz completely by accident earlier today. I read what he had written - a philosophy of sorts for life - called the Four Agreements. It is simple yet very powerful and I reproduce it fully here. Don Ruiz introduces the agreements as follows:
"Everything we do is based on agreements we have made - agreements with ourselves, with other people, with God, with life. But the most important agreements are the ones we make with ourselves. In these agreements we tell ourselves who we are, how to behave, what is possible, what is impossible. One single agreement is not such a problem, but we have many agreements that come from fear, deplete our energy, and diminish our self-worth."
Miguel Ruiz then goes on to elaborate on what he calls the Four Agreements.
Agreement 1 – Be Impeccable With Your Word
Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.
Agreement 2 – Don't Take Anything Personally
Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won't be the victim of needless suffering.
Agreement 3 – Don't Make Assumptions
Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.
Agreement 4 – Always Do Your Best
Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse and regret.
Beautifully summarised.
Peace
S
"Everything we do is based on agreements we have made - agreements with ourselves, with other people, with God, with life. But the most important agreements are the ones we make with ourselves. In these agreements we tell ourselves who we are, how to behave, what is possible, what is impossible. One single agreement is not such a problem, but we have many agreements that come from fear, deplete our energy, and diminish our self-worth."
Miguel Ruiz then goes on to elaborate on what he calls the Four Agreements.
Agreement 1 – Be Impeccable With Your Word
Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.
Agreement 2 – Don't Take Anything Personally
Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won't be the victim of needless suffering.
Agreement 3 – Don't Make Assumptions
Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.
Agreement 4 – Always Do Your Best
Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse and regret.
Beautifully summarised.
Peace
S
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Another Hymn to mitra
I had written about mitra earlier here. This morning I read another hymn revealed to gāthino viśvāmitra about this divinity. Originally contained in the ṛgveda, this hymn also finds place in the daily sandhi rites of the hindus. Some of us would recognise this powerful prayer:
मित्रस्य चर्षणीधृतः श्रवो देवस्य सानसिम्
सत्यं चित्रश्रवस्तमम्
मित्रो जनान् यातयति प्रजानन् मित्रो दाधार पृथिवीमुत द्याम्
मित्रः कृष्टीरनिमिषाऽभि चष्टे सत्याय हव्यं घृतवद्विधेम
प्र स मित्र मर्तो अस्तु प्रयस्वान् यस्त आदित्य शिक्षति व्रतेन
न हन्यते न जीयते त्वोतः नैनम-हो अश्नोत्यन्तितो न दूरात्
mitrasya carṣaṇī dhṛtaḥ śravo devasya sānasim
satyaṁ citraśravastamam
mitro janān yātayati prajānan mitro dādhāra pṛthivīm uta dyām
mitraḥ kṛṣṭīra animiṣā abhi caṣṭe satyāya havyaṁ ghṛtavat vidhema
pra sa mitra marto astu prayasvān yasta āditya śikṣati vratena
na hanyate na jīyate tvotaḥ nainama-amho aśnoti antito na dūrāt
The audition (śravas) of the godhead (devasya) mitra, the upholder of all strivers is steadfast (dhṛtaḥ); [mitra grants us] a true (satyaḥ) audition (śravas) that is of infinite variety (citra) and excellent (tamaḥ)
Knowing (janān) everything, mitra guides (yāta yati) all persons (prajānan); mitra supports (dādhāra) earth (pṛthivīm) and heaven (dyām)
mitra watches all strivers all around (abhi) with an unwinking (animiṣā) eye
To the true one (satyāya), an oblation (havyaṁ) rich in clarity (ghṛtavat) let us offer (vidhema)
O mitra, may the mortal (marto) have a pleasant and abundant offering (prayasvān); who O aditya endeavours to follow (yasta vratena) your law (śikṣati)
Aided by you, he is neither slain (na hanyate) nor oppressed (na jīyate), sin or affliction (nam) does not (nai) come to him either from near (antito) or from far (dūrāt)
मित्रस्य चर्षणीधृतः श्रवो देवस्य सानसिम्
सत्यं चित्रश्रवस्तमम्
मित्रो जनान् यातयति प्रजानन् मित्रो दाधार पृथिवीमुत द्याम्
मित्रः कृष्टीरनिमिषाऽभि चष्टे सत्याय हव्यं घृतवद्विधेम
प्र स मित्र मर्तो अस्तु प्रयस्वान् यस्त आदित्य शिक्षति व्रतेन
न हन्यते न जीयते त्वोतः नैनम-हो अश्नोत्यन्तितो न दूरात्
mitrasya carṣaṇī dhṛtaḥ śravo devasya sānasim
satyaṁ citraśravastamam
mitro janān yātayati prajānan mitro dādhāra pṛthivīm uta dyām
mitraḥ kṛṣṭīra animiṣā abhi caṣṭe satyāya havyaṁ ghṛtavat vidhema
pra sa mitra marto astu prayasvān yasta āditya śikṣati vratena
na hanyate na jīyate tvotaḥ nainama-amho aśnoti antito na dūrāt
The audition (śravas) of the godhead (devasya) mitra, the upholder of all strivers is steadfast (dhṛtaḥ); [mitra grants us] a true (satyaḥ) audition (śravas) that is of infinite variety (citra) and excellent (tamaḥ)
Knowing (janān) everything, mitra guides (yāta yati) all persons (prajānan); mitra supports (dādhāra) earth (pṛthivīm) and heaven (dyām)
mitra watches all strivers all around (abhi) with an unwinking (animiṣā) eye
To the true one (satyāya), an oblation (havyaṁ) rich in clarity (ghṛtavat) let us offer (vidhema)
O mitra, may the mortal (marto) have a pleasant and abundant offering (prayasvān); who O aditya endeavours to follow (yasta vratena) your law (śikṣati)
Aided by you, he is neither slain (na hanyate) nor oppressed (na jīyate), sin or affliction (nam) does not (nai) come to him either from near (antito) or from far (dūrāt)
Peace
S
Friday, March 07, 2008
Two Hymns to savitr
sūrya-savitṛ represents the godhead of the supreme Truth and is the father, fosterer and enlightener of our souls. When we receive some part of this illumination, we strive to yoke our whole mentality and thought to the conscious existence of the divine sūrya-savitṛ within ourselves. Our obscure mental states and our erring thoughts are applied to this Light manifested within ourselves so that it may turn the obscurity of the mind into clear perceving and convert the errors of thought into truth.
Set out below are two hymns on this process of turning to this Divinity.
युञ्जनः प्रथमं मनस्तत्त्वाय सवित धियः ।
अग्निं ज्योतिर्निचाय्य पृथिव्या अध्य्ऽभरत् ॥
युक्तवाय मनसा देवान्त्सुवर्यतो धिया दिवम् ।
बृहज्ज्योतिः करिष्यतः सविता प्र सुवाति तान् ॥
युक्तेन मनसा वयं देवस्य सवितुः सवे ।
सुवर्गेयाय शक्त्यै ॥
yuñjanaḥ prathamaṁ manastattvāya savita dhiyaḥ
agniṁ jyotirnicāyya pṛthivyā adhy'bharat
yuktavāya manasā devāntsuvaryato dhiyā divam
bṛhajjyotiḥ kariṣyataḥ savitā pra suvāti tān
yuktena manasā vayaṁ devasya savituḥ save
suvargeyāya śaktyai
Yoking first the mind, extending his thoughts
Discerning the Light, savitr has brought agni from the earth
Yoking the gods with the mind, going to heaven and the worlds of light with thought
savitr impels those that make the great Light
With minds well yoked at the impelling of savitr
May we have the strength to go to the world of Light
युञ्जते मन उत युञ्जते धियो विप्राः
विप्रस्य बृहतो विपश्चितः
वि होत्रा दधे वयुनाविदेक इत्
महि देवस्य सवितुः परिष्टुतिः
yuñjate mana uta yuñjate dhiyo viprāḥ
viprasya bṛhato vipaścitaḥ
vi hotrā dadhe vayunāvideka it
mahi devasya savituḥ pariṣṭutiḥ
Illumined men yoke their mind and yoke their thoughts
To him who is illumination and largeness and clear-perceiving
Knowing all phenomena, he solely orders the energies of the sacrifice
Vast is the affirmation in all things of savitr, the Divine Creator
Peace
S
Set out below are two hymns on this process of turning to this Divinity.
युञ्जनः प्रथमं मनस्तत्त्वाय सवित धियः ।
अग्निं ज्योतिर्निचाय्य पृथिव्या अध्य्ऽभरत् ॥
युक्तवाय मनसा देवान्त्सुवर्यतो धिया दिवम् ।
बृहज्ज्योतिः करिष्यतः सविता प्र सुवाति तान् ॥
युक्तेन मनसा वयं देवस्य सवितुः सवे ।
सुवर्गेयाय शक्त्यै ॥
yuñjanaḥ prathamaṁ manastattvāya savita dhiyaḥ
agniṁ jyotirnicāyya pṛthivyā adhy'bharat
yuktavāya manasā devāntsuvaryato dhiyā divam
bṛhajjyotiḥ kariṣyataḥ savitā pra suvāti tān
yuktena manasā vayaṁ devasya savituḥ save
suvargeyāya śaktyai
Yoking first the mind, extending his thoughts
Discerning the Light, savitr has brought agni from the earth
Yoking the gods with the mind, going to heaven and the worlds of light with thought
savitr impels those that make the great Light
With minds well yoked at the impelling of savitr
May we have the strength to go to the world of Light
युञ्जते मन उत युञ्जते धियो विप्राः
विप्रस्य बृहतो विपश्चितः
वि होत्रा दधे वयुनाविदेक इत्
महि देवस्य सवितुः परिष्टुतिः
yuñjate mana uta yuñjate dhiyo viprāḥ
viprasya bṛhato vipaścitaḥ
vi hotrā dadhe vayunāvideka it
mahi devasya savituḥ pariṣṭutiḥ
Illumined men yoke their mind and yoke their thoughts
To him who is illumination and largeness and clear-perceiving
Knowing all phenomena, he solely orders the energies of the sacrifice
Vast is the affirmation in all things of savitr, the Divine Creator
Peace
S
Thursday, March 06, 2008
On Curiosity. . .
I was reading a few lines written by Galen (130-200 AD). Galen was educated in Alexandria and became a physician to a school of gladiators in Asia Minor:
"I do not know how it happened, miraculously or by divine inspiration, or in a frenzy, or whatever else you may call it, but from my very youth, I despised the opinion of the multitude and longed for truth and knowledge, believing that there was for man no possession more noble or divine. . . We must be daring and search after Truth; even if we do not succeed in finding her, we shall at least come closer than we are at present."
Curiosity. Unbound, it does not kill any cats, rather it helps us learn and therefore dispels fear of the unknown. Consider that today is an age of specialisation, not one of all-embracing knowledge. In such circumstances, we are most comfortable defending ourselves on familiar ground, on our islands of limited knowledge. In several areas of our lives, this approach does not work.
In an age where information is vastly available, it might actually be better to look for roads that do not restrict us to narrow specialisations, roads that help us see the universe as a whole. That is where curiosity helps.
"I do not know how it happened, miraculously or by divine inspiration, or in a frenzy, or whatever else you may call it, but from my very youth, I despised the opinion of the multitude and longed for truth and knowledge, believing that there was for man no possession more noble or divine. . . We must be daring and search after Truth; even if we do not succeed in finding her, we shall at least come closer than we are at present."
Curiosity. Unbound, it does not kill any cats, rather it helps us learn and therefore dispels fear of the unknown. Consider that today is an age of specialisation, not one of all-embracing knowledge. In such circumstances, we are most comfortable defending ourselves on familiar ground, on our islands of limited knowledge. In several areas of our lives, this approach does not work.
In an age where information is vastly available, it might actually be better to look for roads that do not restrict us to narrow specialisations, roads that help us see the universe as a whole. That is where curiosity helps.
Friday, February 29, 2008
The Lords of Bliss
In the symbolism of the veda, the master of the supreme Truth — truth of being, truth of knowledge, truth of process and action and movement and functioning — is sūrya, the sun, the father, fosterer, enlightener of our souls. The illuminations we seek are the herds of this Sun who comes to us in the track of the divine Dawn and releases and reveals in us night-hidden world after world up to the highest Beatitude.
agni, of Divine Will is the first power that helps us undertake this journey and is severally described in the veda as creating the light of intuition within us and tearing down the “desert” of our dwelling. He makes us climb to greatness along the paths of plenitude.
indra, of Divine Mind, is next. He is the deity within us that gives us appropriate knowledge to perform our actions, on the physical, mental and vital planes. indra battles against and protects us from the psychological forces of darkness, vṛtra, the concealer or tearer and his hosts — śuśna, namuci, vala and other pani by whatever name ascribed —– the several censurers, confiners, covetors, dividers, dualists, hurters, miser-traffickers, plunderers and stealers, within us.
Among the deities who accompany us throughout our journey are the aśvin. Described severally across the veda and the upaniṣat, these twin powers are symbolic of life-energy and nervous force, the prānā. They are the gods of enjoyment seeking honey, “physicians” who bring back youth to the old, health to the sick, wholeness to the maimed. Puranic legend describes the aśvin as divine physicians, ascribing to them an almost physical character. Exploring the myths around the aśvin and their love of honey, the famous legend of ṛṣi dadhyann and his imparting the madhu-vidyā to the twins, I found myself going back to several sections of the ṛg veda including the hymns of kakṣīvān, vāmadeva and those of the atri.
I realise that the aśvin are the psychological powers that energise and propel forward all the vital movements. In that sense, the aśvin are the establishers, of a enlightened, happy and healthy condition of mind, vitality and body, in us — they occupy our parts of knowledge and parts of action and prepare our physical (anna-maya), mental (mano-maya) and vital (prānā-maya) being for an easy and victorious ascension.
They are especially described as dasrā, ones who are effectual in action, from the sanskrit etymological root, das meaning “to do” and as nāsatyā, lords of the journey, from the ancient root, nas, meaning “to move”. The aśvin are usually described with epithets of swiftness in motion and as riders of the horse/chariot.
To paraphrase Sri Aurobindo:
“The indications are perfectly clear. . . The aśvin are twin divine powers whose special function is to perfect the nervous or vital being in man in the sense of action and enjoyment. . . they are also powers of Truth, of intelligent action, of right enjoyment. . . powers that appear with the Dawn, effective powers of action born out of the ocean of being who, because they are divine, are able to mentalise securely the felicities of the higher existence by a thought-faculty which finds or comes to know that true substance and true wealth.”
The hymns of the ṛg veda addressed to the aśvin are also full of symbolic expressions featuring the praise of their chariot, their horses and their rapid all-pervading movement; their seeking of madhu, honey and their joy in it, and the satisfying delights that they carry in their car; and their close association with the sun, sūrya and his daughter, sūryā/uśas, the dawn [of awakening].
At 1.46.2, ṛṣi praskaṇvaḥ kāṇvaḥ says:
या दस्रा सिन्धुमातरा मनोतरा रयिणाम्
धिया देवा वसुविदा
yā dasrā sindhumātarā manotarā rayiṇām
dhiyā devā vasuvidā
O ones effectual in action, children of the ocean
Make available felicities beyond the mind
By a thought faculty that comes to know true substance
At 1.117.2, ṛṣi kakṣīvāna dairghatamasaḥ auśijaḥ further states:
यो वामश्विना मनसो जवीयान्रथः स्वश्वो विश आजिगाति
येन गच्छथः सुकृतो दुरोणं
तेन नरा वर्तिरस्मभ्यं यातम्
yo vāmaśvinā manaso javīyānrathaḥ svaśvo viśa ājigāti
yena gacchathaḥ sukṛto duroṇaṁ
tena narā vartirasmabhyaṁ yātam
O aśvin, your car that is faster than thought
And drawn by graceful steeds, comes to the good people
You go with your car to the houses (subtle bodies) of persons engaged in good works
Come to our abode (with your car), o leaders
Again at 4.45.3, ṛṣi vāmadeva gautama says:
मध्वः पिबतं मधुपेभिरासभिरुत प्रियं मधुने युञ्जाथां रथम्
आ वर्तानिं मधुना जिन्वथस्पथो दृतिं वहेथे मधुमन्तमश्विना
madhvaḥ pibataṁ madhupebhirāsabhiruta priyaṁ madhune yuñjāthāṁ ratham
ā vartāniṁ madhunā jinvathaspatho dṛtiṁ vahethe madhumantamaśvinā
Drink of the honey with your honey drinking mouths, for the honey yoke your car beloved
With the honey you gladden the movement and its paths, full of honey, O aśvin, is the skin you bear
ṛṣi paura ātreyaḥ at 5.73.5 sings:
आ यद्वां सूर्या रथं तिष्ठद् रघुष्यदं
परि वामरुषा वयो
घृणा वरन्त आतपः
ā yadvāṁ sūryā rathaṁ tiṣṭhad raghuṣyadaṁ
pari vāmaruṣā vayo
ghṛṇā varanta ātapaḥ
sūryā, the daughter of the sun-god, ascends in your swift car
The winged powers that draw this car are red with action and full of heat
They guard us from attack on all sides by their burning clarity
“The blind shall see and the lame shall walk” is a power supposedly possessed by several prophets across religions. I personally believe these powers are to be understood in their spiritual significance. The inability to distinguish between truth and falsehood is a metaphorical blindness. Again, the seizure by the psychological foes within us — vṛtra, the tearer and his impious hosts — to progress above a particular spiritual plane creates an inability of movement. The aśvin remove these impediments in our progress. These healing powers of the aśvin are beautifully described by the ṛṣi kutsa āṅgirasaḥ at 1.112.8, thus:
याभिः शचीभिर्वृष्णा परावृजं प्रान्धं श्रोणं चक्षस एतवे कृथः
याभिर्वर्तिका ग्रसिताममुञ्चतं
ताभिरू षु ऊतिभिरश्विना गतम्
yābhiḥ śacībhirvṛṣṇā parāvṛjaṁ prāndhaṁ śroṇaṁ cakṣasa etave kṛthaḥ
yābhirvartikā grasitāmamuñcataṁ
tābhirū ṣu ūtibhiraśvinā gatam
O Showerers, your powers aided parāvṛja
Gave sight to the blind and the power of walk to śroṇa
[You] freed the tremulous yogin from seizure by the foes
Come to us with your protections, O aśvin
By the action of the aśvin, human progress towards a Beatitude becomes itself beatific; all his travail and struggle and labour grow full of a divine delight. The twins, themselves share a mutual relationship of balance and harmony, neither of them existent without the other. This mutual dependence is explained by their love of madhu, the delight of being, in all existence, which affects, supports and binds them together and holds them in close harmony.
Peace
S
PS: Sri Aurobindo's writing quoted above (c) Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust 1999.
agni, of Divine Will is the first power that helps us undertake this journey and is severally described in the veda as creating the light of intuition within us and tearing down the “desert” of our dwelling. He makes us climb to greatness along the paths of plenitude.
indra, of Divine Mind, is next. He is the deity within us that gives us appropriate knowledge to perform our actions, on the physical, mental and vital planes. indra battles against and protects us from the psychological forces of darkness, vṛtra, the concealer or tearer and his hosts — śuśna, namuci, vala and other pani by whatever name ascribed —– the several censurers, confiners, covetors, dividers, dualists, hurters, miser-traffickers, plunderers and stealers, within us.
Among the deities who accompany us throughout our journey are the aśvin. Described severally across the veda and the upaniṣat, these twin powers are symbolic of life-energy and nervous force, the prānā. They are the gods of enjoyment seeking honey, “physicians” who bring back youth to the old, health to the sick, wholeness to the maimed. Puranic legend describes the aśvin as divine physicians, ascribing to them an almost physical character. Exploring the myths around the aśvin and their love of honey, the famous legend of ṛṣi dadhyann and his imparting the madhu-vidyā to the twins, I found myself going back to several sections of the ṛg veda including the hymns of kakṣīvān, vāmadeva and those of the atri.
I realise that the aśvin are the psychological powers that energise and propel forward all the vital movements. In that sense, the aśvin are the establishers, of a enlightened, happy and healthy condition of mind, vitality and body, in us — they occupy our parts of knowledge and parts of action and prepare our physical (anna-maya), mental (mano-maya) and vital (prānā-maya) being for an easy and victorious ascension.
They are especially described as dasrā, ones who are effectual in action, from the sanskrit etymological root, das meaning “to do” and as nāsatyā, lords of the journey, from the ancient root, nas, meaning “to move”. The aśvin are usually described with epithets of swiftness in motion and as riders of the horse/chariot.
To paraphrase Sri Aurobindo:
“The indications are perfectly clear. . . The aśvin are twin divine powers whose special function is to perfect the nervous or vital being in man in the sense of action and enjoyment. . . they are also powers of Truth, of intelligent action, of right enjoyment. . . powers that appear with the Dawn, effective powers of action born out of the ocean of being who, because they are divine, are able to mentalise securely the felicities of the higher existence by a thought-faculty which finds or comes to know that true substance and true wealth.”
The hymns of the ṛg veda addressed to the aśvin are also full of symbolic expressions featuring the praise of their chariot, their horses and their rapid all-pervading movement; their seeking of madhu, honey and their joy in it, and the satisfying delights that they carry in their car; and their close association with the sun, sūrya and his daughter, sūryā/uśas, the dawn [of awakening].
At 1.46.2, ṛṣi praskaṇvaḥ kāṇvaḥ says:
या दस्रा सिन्धुमातरा मनोतरा रयिणाम्
धिया देवा वसुविदा
yā dasrā sindhumātarā manotarā rayiṇām
dhiyā devā vasuvidā
O ones effectual in action, children of the ocean
Make available felicities beyond the mind
By a thought faculty that comes to know true substance
At 1.117.2, ṛṣi kakṣīvāna dairghatamasaḥ auśijaḥ further states:
यो वामश्विना मनसो जवीयान्रथः स्वश्वो विश आजिगाति
येन गच्छथः सुकृतो दुरोणं
तेन नरा वर्तिरस्मभ्यं यातम्
yo vāmaśvinā manaso javīyānrathaḥ svaśvo viśa ājigāti
yena gacchathaḥ sukṛto duroṇaṁ
tena narā vartirasmabhyaṁ yātam
O aśvin, your car that is faster than thought
And drawn by graceful steeds, comes to the good people
You go with your car to the houses (subtle bodies) of persons engaged in good works
Come to our abode (with your car), o leaders
Again at 4.45.3, ṛṣi vāmadeva gautama says:
मध्वः पिबतं मधुपेभिरासभिरुत प्रियं मधुने युञ्जाथां रथम्
आ वर्तानिं मधुना जिन्वथस्पथो दृतिं वहेथे मधुमन्तमश्विना
madhvaḥ pibataṁ madhupebhirāsabhiruta priyaṁ madhune yuñjāthāṁ ratham
ā vartāniṁ madhunā jinvathaspatho dṛtiṁ vahethe madhumantamaśvinā
Drink of the honey with your honey drinking mouths, for the honey yoke your car beloved
With the honey you gladden the movement and its paths, full of honey, O aśvin, is the skin you bear
ṛṣi paura ātreyaḥ at 5.73.5 sings:
आ यद्वां सूर्या रथं तिष्ठद् रघुष्यदं
परि वामरुषा वयो
घृणा वरन्त आतपः
ā yadvāṁ sūryā rathaṁ tiṣṭhad raghuṣyadaṁ
pari vāmaruṣā vayo
ghṛṇā varanta ātapaḥ
sūryā, the daughter of the sun-god, ascends in your swift car
The winged powers that draw this car are red with action and full of heat
They guard us from attack on all sides by their burning clarity
“The blind shall see and the lame shall walk” is a power supposedly possessed by several prophets across religions. I personally believe these powers are to be understood in their spiritual significance. The inability to distinguish between truth and falsehood is a metaphorical blindness. Again, the seizure by the psychological foes within us — vṛtra, the tearer and his impious hosts — to progress above a particular spiritual plane creates an inability of movement. The aśvin remove these impediments in our progress. These healing powers of the aśvin are beautifully described by the ṛṣi kutsa āṅgirasaḥ at 1.112.8, thus:
याभिः शचीभिर्वृष्णा परावृजं प्रान्धं श्रोणं चक्षस एतवे कृथः
याभिर्वर्तिका ग्रसिताममुञ्चतं
ताभिरू षु ऊतिभिरश्विना गतम्
yābhiḥ śacībhirvṛṣṇā parāvṛjaṁ prāndhaṁ śroṇaṁ cakṣasa etave kṛthaḥ
yābhirvartikā grasitāmamuñcataṁ
tābhirū ṣu ūtibhiraśvinā gatam
O Showerers, your powers aided parāvṛja
Gave sight to the blind and the power of walk to śroṇa
[You] freed the tremulous yogin from seizure by the foes
Come to us with your protections, O aśvin
By the action of the aśvin, human progress towards a Beatitude becomes itself beatific; all his travail and struggle and labour grow full of a divine delight. The twins, themselves share a mutual relationship of balance and harmony, neither of them existent without the other. This mutual dependence is explained by their love of madhu, the delight of being, in all existence, which affects, supports and binds them together and holds them in close harmony.
Peace
S
PS: Sri Aurobindo's writing quoted above (c) Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust 1999.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Asia de Cuba: Where Asian Meets Latin
I am in New York City this week attending a basic materials conference and making the most of my time here. NYC has been a favourite walking city of mine after London and San Francisco and as always, I love to do the walkabout in the "grid" generally soaking up the sights and sounds and touristy traffic amidst the bustle.
Whilst the days were spent in meetings, I pretty much had the evenings to myself to generally wander about in Soho - I first stopped at the Vosges cafe for a shot of their famous aztec chocolate elixir and after some time found myself doing dinner at Dos Caminos - their heavenly guacamole and tortilla chips washed down with some pino grigio and an amazing farmer's market vegetable quesadilla made of grilled vegetables and wild mushrooms layered with crisp tortillas layered with chihuahua cheese and roasted tomato-arbol salsa.
I also managed to walk around the relatively quieter Hudson Street where I gorged an unpretentious caprese salad and a tasty organic papardelle accompanied by a Peroni beer at Vento as well as the almost-adjoining food concourse at Chelsea Market on 15th and 9th just randomly tasting some of the produce as well the home-style cheeses and freshly baked breads.
Last night however saw me dining at the fashionable and upscale Asia de Cuba restaurant on Madison Avenue. At first shot, I was quite disappointed after looking at the menu selection - mainly meat, seafood and more of the same. Given that I have turned almost-vegan over a year ago, I was getting ready to content myself with a simple salad and marinated tofu. My dinner companion then asked our waiter if they had any off-menu vegetarian selections. I was pleasantly surprised to be offered a "vege" menu, with quite a large selection to choose from - well, bon appetit it was indeed!!!
We started with a noodle box - sauteed asian vegetables (cabbage, peppers, carrots and the like) wrapped in a noodle "box" and steamed, served in a mushroom chili broth drizzled with hoisin sauce - extremely tangy and quite unlike anything I have had before. Think of a steamed rice samosa and there you have it - this just opened up my taste buds to the gorgeous filling inside.
We had also opted for a second appetizer - the fabled Asia de Cuba's salad - made from a melange of heart of palms (and there were plenty of this going around in the salad), chayote, bananas, cashews and chicory on a bed of lettuce and cabbage served with a radicchio-sesame orange dressing. This was possibly a bigger step up from the noodle box - I know it difficult to appreciate a salad but I was hugely impressed by the flavour and fibrous quotient - I demolished a mountain of the salad and was quite giddy post this.
For mains, we chose the stir fried mushroom and vegetable pancake comprising asian cabbage, a selection of cuban vegetables and jalapeno corn crema with a bowl of wok sauteed shanghai noodles - I was almost ad-libbing Meg Ryan from When Harry met Sally, except my gastro induced orgasm was not fake. This was probably one of the best fusion dishes I have had in ages - every single bite was full of colour, flavour and a rich texture that exploded in my mouth. The aftertaste remained for quite some time in my mouth.
I skipped dessert as I was stuffed although I did glance at their menu - loads of chocolate infused dishes and a few pudding and sorbets as well.
Prices were not too steep by my standards, $100-odd all told - quite reasonable I thought for the exellent quality of the food that was served. The service was also extremely attentive and helpful although I felt a bit let down by the seating - we were first seated right next to the kitchen and then on pointedly asking given a slightly cramped table for two near the entrance - ah, well lop a point or two off for the hostess' behaviour.
I finally trundled back to my hotel for a laphroaig night cap before calling it an evening.
The Asia de Cuba at Morgans, 237 Madison Avenue, New York, NY:
Food - 4.5/5
Decor - 3.5/5
Service - 2.5/5 (lopping off a couple of points for an insensitive hostess)
Prices - 4/5
Cheers
S
Whilst the days were spent in meetings, I pretty much had the evenings to myself to generally wander about in Soho - I first stopped at the Vosges cafe for a shot of their famous aztec chocolate elixir and after some time found myself doing dinner at Dos Caminos - their heavenly guacamole and tortilla chips washed down with some pino grigio and an amazing farmer's market vegetable quesadilla made of grilled vegetables and wild mushrooms layered with crisp tortillas layered with chihuahua cheese and roasted tomato-arbol salsa.
I also managed to walk around the relatively quieter Hudson Street where I gorged an unpretentious caprese salad and a tasty organic papardelle accompanied by a Peroni beer at Vento as well as the almost-adjoining food concourse at Chelsea Market on 15th and 9th just randomly tasting some of the produce as well the home-style cheeses and freshly baked breads.
Last night however saw me dining at the fashionable and upscale Asia de Cuba restaurant on Madison Avenue. At first shot, I was quite disappointed after looking at the menu selection - mainly meat, seafood and more of the same. Given that I have turned almost-vegan over a year ago, I was getting ready to content myself with a simple salad and marinated tofu. My dinner companion then asked our waiter if they had any off-menu vegetarian selections. I was pleasantly surprised to be offered a "vege" menu, with quite a large selection to choose from - well, bon appetit it was indeed!!!
We started with a noodle box - sauteed asian vegetables (cabbage, peppers, carrots and the like) wrapped in a noodle "box" and steamed, served in a mushroom chili broth drizzled with hoisin sauce - extremely tangy and quite unlike anything I have had before. Think of a steamed rice samosa and there you have it - this just opened up my taste buds to the gorgeous filling inside.
We had also opted for a second appetizer - the fabled Asia de Cuba's salad - made from a melange of heart of palms (and there were plenty of this going around in the salad), chayote, bananas, cashews and chicory on a bed of lettuce and cabbage served with a radicchio-sesame orange dressing. This was possibly a bigger step up from the noodle box - I know it difficult to appreciate a salad but I was hugely impressed by the flavour and fibrous quotient - I demolished a mountain of the salad and was quite giddy post this.
For mains, we chose the stir fried mushroom and vegetable pancake comprising asian cabbage, a selection of cuban vegetables and jalapeno corn crema with a bowl of wok sauteed shanghai noodles - I was almost ad-libbing Meg Ryan from When Harry met Sally, except my gastro induced orgasm was not fake. This was probably one of the best fusion dishes I have had in ages - every single bite was full of colour, flavour and a rich texture that exploded in my mouth. The aftertaste remained for quite some time in my mouth.
I skipped dessert as I was stuffed although I did glance at their menu - loads of chocolate infused dishes and a few pudding and sorbets as well.
Prices were not too steep by my standards, $100-odd all told - quite reasonable I thought for the exellent quality of the food that was served. The service was also extremely attentive and helpful although I felt a bit let down by the seating - we were first seated right next to the kitchen and then on pointedly asking given a slightly cramped table for two near the entrance - ah, well lop a point or two off for the hostess' behaviour.
I finally trundled back to my hotel for a laphroaig night cap before calling it an evening.
The Asia de Cuba at Morgans, 237 Madison Avenue, New York, NY:
Food - 4.5/5
Decor - 3.5/5
Service - 2.5/5 (lopping off a couple of points for an insensitive hostess)
Prices - 4/5
Cheers
S
Saturday, February 16, 2008
What The Thunder Said. . .
Among my favourite pieces of scriptural literature is the brihad-aranyaka upaniṣat, which I personally call the great (brihad) forest (aranyaka) of wisdom. Summed up by Chitrita Devi, a Bengali scholar, “this upaniṣat has mingled love with knowledge, forests with cities and the practicality of daily life with the hope of immortality.”
In this upaniṣat, I discovered a central character, a sage called yagnavalkya, a great teacher and a colorful personality, known for the famous yagnavalkya-smriti authored by him– a smriti which forms the basis of hindu family law in India today.
I admire his several dialogues with various people throughout the brihad-aranyaka upaniṣat and the manner in which he applies his acquired knowledge for the help of others, a quality that I try and emulate in my daily endeavours. yagnavalkya teaches us more than any other teacher or sage about what the upaniṣats mean by freedom, in his own universal albeit inimitable style.
However, what I am writing about today is on three principal virtues as enunciated in the brihat-aranyaka. The famous English poet, T S Eliot wrote a poem called, The Wasteland, which speaks about a human soul seeking its release. In this poem, in a section called, “What The Thunder Said”, he speaks of three words – dAmyata, datta and dayadhvam – originally from the brihad-aranyaka upaniṣat*.
त्रयाः प्राजापत्याः प्रजापतौ पितरि ब्रह्मचर्यम् ऊषुः देवा मनुष्या असुराः उषित्वा ब्रह्मचर्यं देवा ऊचुः ब्रवीतु नो भवान् इति तेभ्यो हैतद् अक्षरं उवाच द इति व्यज्ञासिष्टा इति व्यज्ञासिष्मा इति होचुः दाम्यत इति न आत्थेति ॐ इति होवाच व्यज्ञासिष्टेति ।
अथ हैनं मनुष्या ऊचुः ब्रवीतु नो भवान् इति तेभ्यो हैतद् एवाक्षरं उवाच द इति व्यज्ञासिष्टा इति व्यज्ञासिष्मा इति होचुः दत्त इति न आत्थेति ॐ इति होवाच व्यज्ञासिष्टेति ।
अथ हैनं असुरा ऊचुः ब्रवीतु नो भवान् इति तेभ्यो हैतद् एवाक्षरं उवाच द इति व्यज्ञासिष्टा इति व्यज्ञासिष्मा इति होचुः दयध्वम् इति न आत्थेति ॐ इति होवाच व्यज्ञासिष्टेति ।
तदेतदेवैषा दैवी वागनुवदति स्तनयित्नुः द द द इति दाम्यत दत्त दयध्वम् इति तदेतत्त्रयं शिक्षेत् दमं दानं दयां इति ॥
trayāḥ prājāpatyāḥ prajāpatau pitari brahmacaryam ūṣuḥ devā manuṣyā asurāḥ uṣitvā brahmacaryaṁ devā ūcuḥ bravītu no bhavān iti tebhyo haitad akṣaraṁ uvāca da iti vyajñāsiṣṭā iti vyajñāsiṣmā iti hocuḥ dāmyata iti na āttheti om iti hovāca vyajñāsiṣṭeti
atha hainaṁ manuṣyā ūcuḥ bravītu no bhavān iti tebhyo haitad evākṣaraṁ uvāca da iti vyajñāsiṣṭā iti vyajñāsiṣmā iti hocuḥ datta iti na āttheti om iti hovāca vyajñāsiṣṭeti
atha hainaṁ asurā ūcuḥ bravītu no bhavān iti tebhyo haitad evākṣaraṁ uvāca da iti vyajñāsiṣṭā iti vyajñāsiṣmā iti hocuḥ dayadhvam iti na āttheti om iti hovāca vyajñāsiṣṭeti
tadetadevaiṣā daivī vāganuvadati stanayitnuḥ da da da iti dāmyata datta dayadhvam iti tadetattrayaṁ śikṣet damaṁ dānaṁ dayāṁ iti
The triple offspring of prajāpati, the Creator – gods (devā), men (manuṣyā) and demons (asurā) – lived with their Father as students to obtain sacred knowledge.
When they completed their studies, the gods asked him, “Please instruct us, O venerable One”. To which prajāpati uttered one syllable da and asked them “Have you understood?” The gods replied, “We have understood. You said to us dāmyata, control yourselves.” He said, “Yes, you have understood.”
Then men said to Him, “Please instruct us, O venerable One”. To which prajāpati uttered the same syllable da and asked them “Have you understood?” The men replied, “We have understood. You said to us datta, give.” He said, “Yes, you have understood.”
Then the demons said to Him, “Please instruct us, O venerable One”. To them also, He uttered the same syllable da and asked them “Have you understood?” The demons replied, “We have understood. You said to us dayadhvam, be compassionate.” He said, “Yes, you have understood.”
This very thing, the heavenly voice of thunder repeats, da, da, da, that is control yourselves, give and be compassionate. One should practice this same triad – self-control, charity [to the best of one’s ability] and mercifulness.
Peace
S
(* V.2.i-iii of the upaniṣat)
In this upaniṣat, I discovered a central character, a sage called yagnavalkya, a great teacher and a colorful personality, known for the famous yagnavalkya-smriti authored by him– a smriti which forms the basis of hindu family law in India today.
I admire his several dialogues with various people throughout the brihad-aranyaka upaniṣat and the manner in which he applies his acquired knowledge for the help of others, a quality that I try and emulate in my daily endeavours. yagnavalkya teaches us more than any other teacher or sage about what the upaniṣats mean by freedom, in his own universal albeit inimitable style.
However, what I am writing about today is on three principal virtues as enunciated in the brihat-aranyaka. The famous English poet, T S Eliot wrote a poem called, The Wasteland, which speaks about a human soul seeking its release. In this poem, in a section called, “What The Thunder Said”, he speaks of three words – dAmyata, datta and dayadhvam – originally from the brihad-aranyaka upaniṣat*.
त्रयाः प्राजापत्याः प्रजापतौ पितरि ब्रह्मचर्यम् ऊषुः देवा मनुष्या असुराः उषित्वा ब्रह्मचर्यं देवा ऊचुः ब्रवीतु नो भवान् इति तेभ्यो हैतद् अक्षरं उवाच द इति व्यज्ञासिष्टा इति व्यज्ञासिष्मा इति होचुः दाम्यत इति न आत्थेति ॐ इति होवाच व्यज्ञासिष्टेति ।
अथ हैनं मनुष्या ऊचुः ब्रवीतु नो भवान् इति तेभ्यो हैतद् एवाक्षरं उवाच द इति व्यज्ञासिष्टा इति व्यज्ञासिष्मा इति होचुः दत्त इति न आत्थेति ॐ इति होवाच व्यज्ञासिष्टेति ।
अथ हैनं असुरा ऊचुः ब्रवीतु नो भवान् इति तेभ्यो हैतद् एवाक्षरं उवाच द इति व्यज्ञासिष्टा इति व्यज्ञासिष्मा इति होचुः दयध्वम् इति न आत्थेति ॐ इति होवाच व्यज्ञासिष्टेति ।
तदेतदेवैषा दैवी वागनुवदति स्तनयित्नुः द द द इति दाम्यत दत्त दयध्वम् इति तदेतत्त्रयं शिक्षेत् दमं दानं दयां इति ॥
trayāḥ prājāpatyāḥ prajāpatau pitari brahmacaryam ūṣuḥ devā manuṣyā asurāḥ uṣitvā brahmacaryaṁ devā ūcuḥ bravītu no bhavān iti tebhyo haitad akṣaraṁ uvāca da iti vyajñāsiṣṭā iti vyajñāsiṣmā iti hocuḥ dāmyata iti na āttheti om iti hovāca vyajñāsiṣṭeti
atha hainaṁ manuṣyā ūcuḥ bravītu no bhavān iti tebhyo haitad evākṣaraṁ uvāca da iti vyajñāsiṣṭā iti vyajñāsiṣmā iti hocuḥ datta iti na āttheti om iti hovāca vyajñāsiṣṭeti
atha hainaṁ asurā ūcuḥ bravītu no bhavān iti tebhyo haitad evākṣaraṁ uvāca da iti vyajñāsiṣṭā iti vyajñāsiṣmā iti hocuḥ dayadhvam iti na āttheti om iti hovāca vyajñāsiṣṭeti
tadetadevaiṣā daivī vāganuvadati stanayitnuḥ da da da iti dāmyata datta dayadhvam iti tadetattrayaṁ śikṣet damaṁ dānaṁ dayāṁ iti
The triple offspring of prajāpati, the Creator – gods (devā), men (manuṣyā) and demons (asurā) – lived with their Father as students to obtain sacred knowledge.
When they completed their studies, the gods asked him, “Please instruct us, O venerable One”. To which prajāpati uttered one syllable da and asked them “Have you understood?” The gods replied, “We have understood. You said to us dāmyata, control yourselves.” He said, “Yes, you have understood.”
Then men said to Him, “Please instruct us, O venerable One”. To which prajāpati uttered the same syllable da and asked them “Have you understood?” The men replied, “We have understood. You said to us datta, give.” He said, “Yes, you have understood.”
Then the demons said to Him, “Please instruct us, O venerable One”. To them also, He uttered the same syllable da and asked them “Have you understood?” The demons replied, “We have understood. You said to us dayadhvam, be compassionate.” He said, “Yes, you have understood.”
This very thing, the heavenly voice of thunder repeats, da, da, da, that is control yourselves, give and be compassionate. One should practice this same triad – self-control, charity [to the best of one’s ability] and mercifulness.
Peace
S
(* V.2.i-iii of the upaniṣat)
Thursday, February 07, 2008
At the Outset. . . brahmanaspati
Modern day Hinduism speaks of a Godhead called Ganesha or Ganapati, a deity that was first worshipped in the puranic legends of yore and I daresay acquired more prominence since then. This Godhead is popularly referred to as vigneshwara, the remover of obstacles and usually worshipped at the start of any religious or social ceremony or function.
The word brahma in the veda stands for mantrā, the power that manifests itself in vāk or speech. The meaningful sound that is expressed in a vedic mantrā, known by the term brahma. This follows a metrical form (or chandas) by which I believe the universe is impelled from within and without and continues incessantly.
The rig veda refers to an infinite consciousness (albeit in a veiled manner) that upholds the universe from a supreme station. It is this very Divinity that enters the Inconscient and works to release the concealed truths of existence, leading them upwards in manifestation. This consciousness that so manifests itself was described by the vedic seer as brahma – a soul that rises upwards in humanity. Just as agni in the veda is the force of Divine Will, indrā - the power of Divine Mind, sarasvati that of Inspiration, similarly brahma was the vedic symbol for soul-power.
brahmanaspati was the chosen form for the Divinity that presides over this soul-power – and ganapati in the post puranic age corresponds to that divinity known as brahmanaspati to the vedic seers of a more ancient age.
The great ṛṣi gṛtsamadaḥ bhārgavaḥ śaunakaḥ reveals to us a powerful rik invoking this Lord of the mantrā. Those of us familiar with the daily rites recognise this simple and powerful hymn.
गणानां त्वा गणपतिं हवामहे कविं कवीनामुपमश्रवस्तमम्।
ज्येष्टराजं ब्रह्मणां ब्रह्मणस्पत आ न शृण्वन्नूतिभिः सीद सादनम्॥
gaṇānāṁ tvā gaṇapatiṁ havāmahe kaviṁ kavīnāmupamaśravastamam
jyeṣṭarājaṁ brahmaṇāṁ brahmaṇaspata ā na śṛṇvannūtibhiḥ sīda sādanam
We invoke (havāmahe) the lord (gaṇapatiṁ) of the hosts (gaṇānāṁ) [of the mantrās]
Seer (kaviṁ) among all the seers (kavīnām), supreme (upama) in all hearing (śravastamam)
The eldest king (jyeṣṭarājaṁ) and lord of all mantrās (brahmaṇaspata)
Hearing our invocations (ā na śṛṇvan), may he increase (ūtibhiḥ) us and manifest (asīda) his powers in our subtle bodies (sādanam)
Obstacles are caused in our tasks due to conflicting thoughts and desires and brahmanaspati places the appropriate mantrā in our subtle body skillfully and removes the disharmony, the cause of these obstacles. He manifests in our subtle bodies with his protections.
Peace
S
The word brahma in the veda stands for mantrā, the power that manifests itself in vāk or speech. The meaningful sound that is expressed in a vedic mantrā, known by the term brahma. This follows a metrical form (or chandas) by which I believe the universe is impelled from within and without and continues incessantly.
The rig veda refers to an infinite consciousness (albeit in a veiled manner) that upholds the universe from a supreme station. It is this very Divinity that enters the Inconscient and works to release the concealed truths of existence, leading them upwards in manifestation. This consciousness that so manifests itself was described by the vedic seer as brahma – a soul that rises upwards in humanity. Just as agni in the veda is the force of Divine Will, indrā - the power of Divine Mind, sarasvati that of Inspiration, similarly brahma was the vedic symbol for soul-power.
brahmanaspati was the chosen form for the Divinity that presides over this soul-power – and ganapati in the post puranic age corresponds to that divinity known as brahmanaspati to the vedic seers of a more ancient age.
The great ṛṣi gṛtsamadaḥ bhārgavaḥ śaunakaḥ reveals to us a powerful rik invoking this Lord of the mantrā. Those of us familiar with the daily rites recognise this simple and powerful hymn.
गणानां त्वा गणपतिं हवामहे कविं कवीनामुपमश्रवस्तमम्।
ज्येष्टराजं ब्रह्मणां ब्रह्मणस्पत आ न शृण्वन्नूतिभिः सीद सादनम्॥
gaṇānāṁ tvā gaṇapatiṁ havāmahe kaviṁ kavīnāmupamaśravastamam
jyeṣṭarājaṁ brahmaṇāṁ brahmaṇaspata ā na śṛṇvannūtibhiḥ sīda sādanam
We invoke (havāmahe) the lord (gaṇapatiṁ) of the hosts (gaṇānāṁ) [of the mantrās]
Seer (kaviṁ) among all the seers (kavīnām), supreme (upama) in all hearing (śravastamam)
The eldest king (jyeṣṭarājaṁ) and lord of all mantrās (brahmaṇaspata)
Hearing our invocations (ā na śṛṇvan), may he increase (ūtibhiḥ) us and manifest (asīda) his powers in our subtle bodies (sādanam)
Obstacles are caused in our tasks due to conflicting thoughts and desires and brahmanaspati places the appropriate mantrā in our subtle body skillfully and removes the disharmony, the cause of these obstacles. He manifests in our subtle bodies with his protections.
Peace
S
Monday, February 04, 2008
Real Prosperity
I read this story several years ago from that classic book, Zen Flesh, Zen Bones compiled by Paul Reps and Nyogen Senzaki.
* * * * *
A rich man asked Sengai to write something for the continued prosperity of his family so that it might be treasured from generation to generation. Sengai obtained a large sheet of paper and wrote: "Father dies, son dies, grandson dies."
The rich man became angry. "I asked you to write something for the happiness of my family! Why do you make such a joke of this?"
"No joke is intended," explained Sengai. "If before you yourself die your son should die, this would grieve you greatly. If your grandson should pass away before your son, both of you would be broken-hearted. If your family, generation after generation, passes away in the order I have named, it will be the natural course of life. I call this real prosperity."
* * * * *
I was reminded of this story today in a disturbing incident. I humbly pray that the soul of the helpless little angel rest in peace.
Peace
S
* * * * *
A rich man asked Sengai to write something for the continued prosperity of his family so that it might be treasured from generation to generation. Sengai obtained a large sheet of paper and wrote: "Father dies, son dies, grandson dies."
The rich man became angry. "I asked you to write something for the happiness of my family! Why do you make such a joke of this?"
"No joke is intended," explained Sengai. "If before you yourself die your son should die, this would grieve you greatly. If your grandson should pass away before your son, both of you would be broken-hearted. If your family, generation after generation, passes away in the order I have named, it will be the natural course of life. I call this real prosperity."
* * * * *
I was reminded of this story today in a disturbing incident. I humbly pray that the soul of the helpless little angel rest in peace.
Peace
S
Saturday, February 02, 2008
The Four Kings, Part 3
Continuing my pilgrimage from earlier, I discover bhaga-savitr, fourth and last of the great Kings.
Familiar to those hindus who practice the sandhi rites are two closing invocations to the Godhead called savitr, which run as follows:
अद्या नो देव सवितः प्रजावत् सावीः सौभगम् ।
परा दुःष्वप्न्यं सुव॥
विश्वानि देव सवितर्दुरितानि परा सुव ।
यद्भद्रं तन्न आ सुव ॥
adyā no deva savitaḥ prajāvat sāvīḥ saubhagam
parā duḥṣvapnyaṁ suva
viśvāni deva savitarduritāni parā suva
yadbhadraṁ tanna ā suva
They mean:
“Today (adya), O savitr (deva savitaḥ)
Send forth on us fruitful (prajāvat) felicity (saubhagam)
Dismiss (parā suva) what belongs to the evil dream (duḥṣvapnyaṁ)
O Divine producer, dismiss all evils (duritāni)
What is the auspicious good (bhadram), send forth that on us”
The invocation forms a part of the hymns of the atri ṛṣis (at 5.82.4 and 5.82.5, revealed to the ṛṣi śyāvāśvaḥ ātreya) and is addressed to surya, the chosen emblem of vedic symbolism, in his form as bhaga-savitr. So, who is this bhaga?. He is the godhead who is the enjoyer in man – all enjoyment, mortal and divine, comes from him.
The ideal embodied in the veda is one of inclusiveness – of all life and all joy, the wideness and plentifulness of the earth, the vastness and abundance of heaven, the treasures of the mental (manomaya), vital (pranamaya) and physical (annamaya) existence uplifted, purified and perfected in the form of an infinite truth. It is this all-inclusive felicity or plenitude referred to as rayim aśnavat and its enjoyment thereof that is the gift to us of bhaga-savitr.
It is bhaga, whom we address and invoke in the first of the invocations to send forth on us the fruitful felicity. He is savitr, the Creator, who brings forth from the unmanifest Divine, the truth of a divine universe, dispelling from us the evil dream of a lower consciousness in which we constantly falter amidst the confusing web of truth and falsehood. An infinite beatitude possessing and enjoying all without division, fault or sin is the creation of bhaga-savitr.
Evil is not characteristic of human life on earth. It is the outcome of an incorrect reaction, due to the workings of an ignorant nature. As this shadow of ignorance is dissipated by the advent of the Lord of Enjoyment, right movements form themselves and wrong movements are corrected or eliminated.
Thus do the four Kings find themselves fulfilled with their infinite Mother by the delightful perfection in man of bhaga the Enjoyer, the youngest and greatest of them all. The divine creation of the fourfold savitr founded on varuna, combined and guided by mitra, achieved by āryamān, is finally enjoyed in bhaga. Therefore does aditi, the infinite Mother realise herself in the human being by the birth and works of her four glorious children.
Peace
S
Familiar to those hindus who practice the sandhi rites are two closing invocations to the Godhead called savitr, which run as follows:
अद्या नो देव सवितः प्रजावत् सावीः सौभगम् ।
परा दुःष्वप्न्यं सुव॥
विश्वानि देव सवितर्दुरितानि परा सुव ।
यद्भद्रं तन्न आ सुव ॥
adyā no deva savitaḥ prajāvat sāvīḥ saubhagam
parā duḥṣvapnyaṁ suva
viśvāni deva savitarduritāni parā suva
yadbhadraṁ tanna ā suva
They mean:
“Today (adya), O savitr (deva savitaḥ)
Send forth on us fruitful (prajāvat) felicity (saubhagam)
Dismiss (parā suva) what belongs to the evil dream (duḥṣvapnyaṁ)
O Divine producer, dismiss all evils (duritāni)
What is the auspicious good (bhadram), send forth that on us”
The invocation forms a part of the hymns of the atri ṛṣis (at 5.82.4 and 5.82.5, revealed to the ṛṣi śyāvāśvaḥ ātreya) and is addressed to surya, the chosen emblem of vedic symbolism, in his form as bhaga-savitr. So, who is this bhaga?. He is the godhead who is the enjoyer in man – all enjoyment, mortal and divine, comes from him.
The ideal embodied in the veda is one of inclusiveness – of all life and all joy, the wideness and plentifulness of the earth, the vastness and abundance of heaven, the treasures of the mental (manomaya), vital (pranamaya) and physical (annamaya) existence uplifted, purified and perfected in the form of an infinite truth. It is this all-inclusive felicity or plenitude referred to as rayim aśnavat and its enjoyment thereof that is the gift to us of bhaga-savitr.
It is bhaga, whom we address and invoke in the first of the invocations to send forth on us the fruitful felicity. He is savitr, the Creator, who brings forth from the unmanifest Divine, the truth of a divine universe, dispelling from us the evil dream of a lower consciousness in which we constantly falter amidst the confusing web of truth and falsehood. An infinite beatitude possessing and enjoying all without division, fault or sin is the creation of bhaga-savitr.
Evil is not characteristic of human life on earth. It is the outcome of an incorrect reaction, due to the workings of an ignorant nature. As this shadow of ignorance is dissipated by the advent of the Lord of Enjoyment, right movements form themselves and wrong movements are corrected or eliminated.
Thus do the four Kings find themselves fulfilled with their infinite Mother by the delightful perfection in man of bhaga the Enjoyer, the youngest and greatest of them all. The divine creation of the fourfold savitr founded on varuna, combined and guided by mitra, achieved by āryamān, is finally enjoyed in bhaga. Therefore does aditi, the infinite Mother realise herself in the human being by the birth and works of her four glorious children.
Peace
S
Friday, February 01, 2008
Lady Fantasy
On the lines of the immediately last post, another 70s favorite tune of mine from the progressive rock group Camel's classic album, Mirage. I love Camel's works, especially the self titled debut album, Mirage and the Snowgoose. Here's Lady Fantasy.
Listen very carefully, my words are about to unfold
Concerning a lady I've seen but I never could hold
I can see by your smile
Take a long while
The words that come through
I see that they're true
For she reminds me of you.
Don't misunderstand me, it's not always easy to say
The words in your head and your heart that you just can't explain
I can see clearly
A face in the sky
Moon's in your eye
You're passing me by
Tell me the reason why
I can see clearly
A face in the sky
Moon's in your eye
You're passing me by
Saw you riding on a moon cloud
Saw you walking on a whirlpool
From the corner of my eye
I saw you
Saw you sitting on a sunbeam
In the middle of my daydream
Oh my Lady Fantasy
I love you.
(c) 1974, Camel and Decca Records
Listen very carefully, my words are about to unfold
Concerning a lady I've seen but I never could hold
I can see by your smile
Take a long while
The words that come through
I see that they're true
For she reminds me of you.
Don't misunderstand me, it's not always easy to say
The words in your head and your heart that you just can't explain
I can see clearly
A face in the sky
Moon's in your eye
You're passing me by
Tell me the reason why
I can see clearly
A face in the sky
Moon's in your eye
You're passing me by
Saw you riding on a moon cloud
Saw you walking on a whirlpool
From the corner of my eye
I saw you
Saw you sitting on a sunbeam
In the middle of my daydream
Oh my Lady Fantasy
I love you.
(c) 1974, Camel and Decca Records
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Persephone
Persephone remains one of my favourite songs from the 1970s era. Originally composed and sung by Wishbone Ash, one of the rock super-groups of that decade, the entire lyrical arrangement has a tone to it that is truly representative of the era. I have been listening to this haunting melody for the last few days and just wanted to put the lyrics down here [no special feat that, hurr hurr hurr] but hey... here's Persephone.
There's a light that shines on Persephone,
Always a fire in her eyes,
And the last time that I went to her
I could tell things weren't right.
I just don't care to see your years go wasting,
There's no longer magic in your eyes.
In your time, you could outshine everybody else around,
But your off-stage ways might be a bore -
You take a bow, you take a fall.
I came to be here in the footlights,
To live with you through every song,
And your face displays a peaceful field.
I can't believe the curtain has to fall.
Now I know your years were never wasted,
Tonight I saw the magic in your eyes.
(c) 1974, Wishbone Ash and MCA
There's a light that shines on Persephone,
Always a fire in her eyes,
And the last time that I went to her
I could tell things weren't right.
I just don't care to see your years go wasting,
There's no longer magic in your eyes.
In your time, you could outshine everybody else around,
But your off-stage ways might be a bore -
You take a bow, you take a fall.
I came to be here in the footlights,
To live with you through every song,
And your face displays a peaceful field.
I can't believe the curtain has to fall.
Now I know your years were never wasted,
Tonight I saw the magic in your eyes.
(c) 1974, Wishbone Ash and MCA
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Climate Change and I
I read that “Climate Change” is the change in climate over a time period that ranges from decades to centuries. The term refers to both natural and human-induced changes.
Naturally occurring greenhouse gases (e.g. water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide) keep the Earth warm enough to support life. Our human activities release greenhouse gases. These include the burning of fossil fuels for producing electrical energy, heating and transportation. By increasing their concentrations and by adding new greenhouse gases like CFCs, we contribute to raising the average global temperature.
We also contribute to global climatic change through land use changes. As we replace forests with agricultural land, or natural vegetation with asphalt or concrete, they substantially alter the way the Earth's surface reflects sunlight and releases heat. All these changes also affect regional evaporation, runoff and rainfall patterns.
The evidence points to worsening cases of extreme weather accompanied by scientific proof that we are the cause. Recognizing this challenge (hopefully with the conscious belief that we hold our world in trust for our children rather than having inheriting it from our parents), countries and citizens are now waking up by committing to cuts in greenhouse gas emissions or pledging to move to a carbon neutral society or adopting sustainable or renewable energy goals as a way of life.
The math as I understood it works something like this – The current atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide (“CO2”) is 380 parts per million (“ppm”). It is currently rising by an additional 2 ppm every year based on ~36 gigatonnes of man made CO2 every year, 29 of those caused by energy based emissions and the remaining 7 from deforestation. Estimates point to a safety threshold of 450 ppm and a danger zone of 560 ppm.
Lest I forget, the global economy is growing at 5% levels year on year aided by an energy consumption growth of 4-odd %. If this rate is sustained for half a century, first as Asia (India and China) and the other emerging markets (Latin America and Africa) grow and develop, we could hit this rate of 560 ppm by 2050 or earlier.
Therefore, the question to self this Saturday morning was: How would I, as a individual and responsible global citizen, contribute to positive climate change?
Well, for starters, I am pledging to avoid taking my car out one day a week. I am also pledging to use shared transportation more. Also, I’ve never taken the request, “Think before you print” on the emails that I receive seriously earlier. I shall do so now.
Cheers
S
Naturally occurring greenhouse gases (e.g. water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide) keep the Earth warm enough to support life. Our human activities release greenhouse gases. These include the burning of fossil fuels for producing electrical energy, heating and transportation. By increasing their concentrations and by adding new greenhouse gases like CFCs, we contribute to raising the average global temperature.
We also contribute to global climatic change through land use changes. As we replace forests with agricultural land, or natural vegetation with asphalt or concrete, they substantially alter the way the Earth's surface reflects sunlight and releases heat. All these changes also affect regional evaporation, runoff and rainfall patterns.
The evidence points to worsening cases of extreme weather accompanied by scientific proof that we are the cause. Recognizing this challenge (hopefully with the conscious belief that we hold our world in trust for our children rather than having inheriting it from our parents), countries and citizens are now waking up by committing to cuts in greenhouse gas emissions or pledging to move to a carbon neutral society or adopting sustainable or renewable energy goals as a way of life.
The math as I understood it works something like this – The current atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide (“CO2”) is 380 parts per million (“ppm”). It is currently rising by an additional 2 ppm every year based on ~36 gigatonnes of man made CO2 every year, 29 of those caused by energy based emissions and the remaining 7 from deforestation. Estimates point to a safety threshold of 450 ppm and a danger zone of 560 ppm.
Lest I forget, the global economy is growing at 5% levels year on year aided by an energy consumption growth of 4-odd %. If this rate is sustained for half a century, first as Asia (India and China) and the other emerging markets (Latin America and Africa) grow and develop, we could hit this rate of 560 ppm by 2050 or earlier.
Therefore, the question to self this Saturday morning was: How would I, as a individual and responsible global citizen, contribute to positive climate change?
Well, for starters, I am pledging to avoid taking my car out one day a week. I am also pledging to use shared transportation more. Also, I’ve never taken the request, “Think before you print” on the emails that I receive seriously earlier. I shall do so now.
Cheers
S
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